Why African American Studies?
Our curriculum helps students learn how to define, measure, interpret and validate Black experiences. Graduates leave us ready to think and to act in order to solve the unstructured problems that confront Black communities.
Learn more about the value of a degree in African American studies.
News
July 9, 2025
Gabriel Summer Institute helps high school students uncover their roots
The VCU program explored Richmond’s Black history and taught genealogy research skills.
May 19, 2025
African American studies professor Adam Ewing earns National Humanities Center fellowship
He will spend the upcoming academic year working on his book about 20th-century pan-Africanism.
April 24, 2025
Undergraduates flex their comics creativity in VCU’s Graphic Narratives Lab
The initial cohort of students explores visual storytelling and scholarship.
AFAM Spotlight
Meet a Student
Tarazha Jenkins is passionate about communications and politics, as well as how it can affect the black community. One day she hopes to work on Capitol Hill.
Meet an Alum
Fidelia Igwe ('15) is associate director of College and Career Access at DC Prep in Washington D.C. and CEO/lead consultant of Equitable Minds, LLC.
Meet a Student
Shawn Williams says majoring in African American studies helps them build towards a healthier, inclusive, antiracist future. Read more about Shawn, including her favorite courses, professors and sources of inspiration.