Department of African American Studies

College of Humanities and Sciences

Current StudentsGive

Events

Geoff Bennett (photo credit: Johnny Shryock)

Black Out Loud: A Conversation with Geoff Bennett

Date: Friday, Oct 9, 2026

Join us for a conversation with Geoff Bennett, co-anchor and co-managing editor of the PBS NewsHour. Bennett will discuss his book "Black Out Loud: The Revolutionary History of Black Comedy from Vaudeville to '90s Sitcoms."

Illustration of Black Revolutionary War soldiers with text that reads, Declarations: Black Americans and the Revolutionary War a documentary film screening, Tuesday October 13 5:30 PM

Declarations: Black Americans and the Revolutionary War

Date: Tuesday, Oct 13, 2026

In partnership with the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, the College of Humanities and Sciences presents a screening of the documentary “Declarations: Black Americans and the Revolutionary War” from VPM and director Stacey L. Holman.

KEMBA Film Screening & Q&A

Date: Wednesday, Oct 21, 2026

The Department of African American Studies will host a viewing and discussion of the film KEMBA. This film details the true story of Kemba Pradia Smith, sentenced to 24 years in prison for crimes committed by her boyfriend. This screening is co-sponsored by the organization Represent Justice; the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies; the Black Education Association; and the Wilder School.

Annual Events

Our department hosts several regular events throughout the year, including our Gabriel Summer Institute. Please view below for links on our annual events as they are developed!

Gabriel Summer Scholars Institute

VCU’s Department of African American Studies hosts a weeklong day camp for high school students. The theme student will explore in the 2026 session is "Waterways to Lifeways: Genealogy, Geography, Environment". Please see the page on the Institute for further details.

Community Lecture Series

The Department of African American Studies hosts weekly lectures in the Richmond Public Library's Auditorium room, held every Thursday at 6pm. Please view the Community Lecture Calendar for more information! An ADA accessible list of events is available within the AFAM Events Calendar, where all of the department's events are listed.