‘The squad’: Women leaders in the Department of African American and African Studies make their mark

performance spaces, investigating diasporic identities as it relates to the formation of Black identity and using art as a means of exploring different societal issues.

Experiential learning is a priority in Strother’s classroom because of its valuable impact on students’ learning. Strother said it is important to seek the information and experiences of others to make real change and acquire full knowledge.

“A lot of my previous work has involved creating these international collaborations as well as finding ways to be able to merge the conversations (of students) with members of the community,” Strother said.

Strother was a playwright and performer for the 15th Annual Stage-to-Play New Play Festival held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She also made an appearance in the Handmaid’s Tale as an extra. Students come into the classroom with an abundance of knowledge and experiences. Strother said she values that as an opportunity to grow.

“The moments that stick out to me … are those moments in the classroom where you not only see the ‘Aha!’ moment in students, but you, yourself, have that ‘Aha!’ moment,” Strother said.

Strother admires the “dreamers” who brought the idea of an AAAS department to life and she strives to continue to build upon their work and contribute to the cause.

Yvonne Morris

By Ellie Young eyoung@statenews.com

With the work of four dedicated women, the Department of African American and African Studies, or AAAS, has continued in its success since its start in 2018.

Ruth Nicole Brown, Gianina K.L. Strother, Yvonne Morris and LeConté J. Dill have each made significant contributions to the department. Through their leadership, the department has put an emphasis on Black feminism, sexuality and gender studies.

“We call ourselves ‘the squad,’” Brown said. “We call ourselves the ‘dream team’.”

The unbreakable bond between the staff in AAAS and the passion they each hold for their work has built a strong foundation and a rapidly growing presence for the department. Students have started to pick up on the values that AAAS prides itself on.

“Me and my coworkers and my colleagues refer to each other as ‘squad,’ but we also hear our students building a squad amongst themselves,” Dill said.

Ruth Nicole Brown

Following the success of the African American and African Studies program, Inaugural Department Chairperson and Professor Ruth Nicole Brown worked alongside a team to form the Department of AAAS. The new department was important to Brown, as she dedicated her career to creating more opportunities for students to center their studies on Black feminism, gender and sexuality.

“I wanted to be a part of those institutional conversations about how to get students involved and how to change the way we think about research,” Brown said. “So that engagement and research are mutually reciprocal.”

Now that the department has been established, Brown said she is working to create an institutional culture that holds itself accountable to the university staff, students and the communities it is a part of.

Brown was involved in the hiring process for all faculty members and said she is excited about the variety of skills and experiences that this year’s faculty brings.

The 2022-23 school year is the first in which students could declare an AAAS major. Brown’s effort to pass the major through university and state governance paid off when she saw how much it meant to students.

“A student came up to me after class and asked me what I’d been working on … she was like ‘I want to major in AAAS,’” Brown said. “As soon as it did (receive approval) she declared. I will always remember her and I will always remember that moment.”

The support AAAS has received from the university has given the department strength and the ability to organize a lot of unique opportunities, Brown said.

“We are really leading with love,” Brown said.

LECONTÉ J. DILL

Associate Professor LeConté Dill is passionate about Black girlhood studies and came to MSU specifically for the new AAAS department. As a transdisciplinary scholar, Dill brings a variety of lenses to her teaching.

Dill was the keynote speaker at this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Community Unity dinner and spoke not only about her scholarship, but also about the values of the AAAS department. Furthermore, Dill said she enjoys hearing the positive feedback from students about her teaching and the curriculum.

“Students really being excited about learning in a way that they aren’t even used to … That’s been an accomplishment,” Dill said.

Moments of affirmation in the classroom are meaningful to Dill because she loves seeing students focus on the possibilities in their future. Dill said working in a space that focuses on Black feminism has allowed her to teach classes she is passionate about within the curriculum and work with colleagues who have the same interests and goals.

“In coming to MSU, the people in this department who dreamed of this department … are people I was already reading on the bookshelves, people that I was following at conferences, people that I wanted to get to know,” Dill said.

GIANINA K.L. STROTHER

As an assistant professor, Gianina K.L. Strother prides herself on upholding the values of the AAAS department and creating opportunities for students at MSU.

“I had goosebumps when I read the call in the announcement for this new department,” Strother said. “The diversity of thought, the colleagues that I have the privilege to work with and the diversity of talent and artistry is really a gift.”

Strother is a performance studies scholar and her interests include examining the ways in which Black women and girls navigate

Academic specialist Yvonne Morris teaches along with her recruiting duties. She centers her work in joy and creating a positive, welcoming environment within the AAAS department.

“One of the goals that I have here is to make sure that our students have a place of community,” Morris said. “We always hear from our students that this the first time in their classes that they’ve been able to show up as their whole selves.”

The department started a series of events this semester called “Happy Meals at Lunches” where students are invited out to lunch with the department to strengthen their bonds and ensure they stay motivated in the winter months.

“We are on the rise; we are moving joyfully forward,” Morris said. “I’m excited to create a bigger presence here on campus.”