Letter from the Director
Black scholar Dr. Kendra King once said that discussions of race can "produce some of the most severe 'knee-jerk' reactions" across racial identities. Those reactions can and often do undermine legitimate dialogue about the sociopolitical realities of Black people. However, I commit to do as much as possible to never allow others’ discomfort or privilege to interfere with legitimate academic efforts that educate on Blackness and the Black experience within the Black Studies Program.
Black Studies is a safe and welcoming place for anyone (students, faculty, staff, alumni, and/or community stakeholders) seeking to learn more about the Black experience because the unapologetic education of Blackness is not just important to Black people but it is a societal necessity for all future iterations of a multiracial world.
As the Director, I embrace SIUE’s commitment to antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI) and work to shape a program that reflects those value-based approaches, and I commit to challenging the norms, policies, and constructs that have forced those racialized as Black to exist at the margins of society but could never reduce those persons to being marginal.
There’s a place for you in Black Studies!
Sincerely,
Timothy E. Lewis, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Director
Black Studies Program
