10/7/2026 Bridget Melton
Written by Bridget Melton
IHSI Diversity Committee Monthly Resources
Each month, the IHSI Diversity Committee shares resources and learning opportunities with the rest of the IHSI staff. Curating and sharing these resources allow us to educate ourselves on various topics related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. As an institute devoted to promoting all forms of health, we want to share these resources more broadly with our campus and community stakeholders. We hope that you will find them as useful as we have.
The history and current climate of Black Studies programs
This month, Bridget Melton, Director of Strategic Initiatives & Communications, shares resources to highlight a current issue that has direct relevance to those of us in Higher Ed - cuts to Black studies departments.
Last month, the Washington Post released an article, "Why colleges are cutting Black studies departments, majors and classes." I encourage you to read this article to learn more about this current trend in Higher Ed.
I'm sure most of us aren't surprised by this news, given the current political environment. But rather than allowing ourselves to gloss over it as yet another attack on DEI, I'd like to pause and think about what this represents to those of us in higher ed, as well as to the public.
Please review a couple of articles that briefly cover the origins of African American studies, a result of student activism in the 1960s. As many of us recently learned through the local history tours and Community-Engaged Research Series event, taking time to first understand history is critical to understanding current issues and relationships.
- The origins of African American studies, explained
- Black Studies: Its Origin and Place in the Twenty-First Century (2025)
Then, consider the issues addressed in this Inside Higher Ed op ed: Valuing Black Studies Requires Valuing Black People. Few Institutions Do. What strikes you in reading this article? What are your biggest concerns related to this issue?