Cinnamon Small

As outreach coordinator for the Department of Pan-African studies she seeks to encourage students not only to explore the exceptional contributions of peoples of African descent throughout the globe, but to also practice collective work and responsibility by giving back in the communities that they live in.      

Since 2009, she served as the program chair for Kent State University (KSU) Independent Films. A former student member of Broadcast Education Association (BEA) and Association for Black Cultural Centers (ABCC)Her work in both areas seeks to destroy stereotypes and socialized norms that are often perpetuated by media and print.she has performed several roles in the Department of Pan-African Studies, and is reverent to the contributions of  Dr. Oscar Ritchie, where the department is housed. She has been a volunteer in the Center of Pan-African Culture (CPAC), student worker for the African Community Theatre and Ghana Study Abroad Program and graduate assistant.  In 2011, she was inducted into Alpha Kappa Mu honors society and participated in a service project mentoring students at the Skeels-Matthews community center in Ravenna, OH.  

Cinnamon’s work with KSU Independent Films has been ongoing. She is heavily invested in the HD Production Methods courses offered through the School of Journalism and Mass Communication taught by Professor Dave Smeltzer and Traci E. Williams.  With the help of the talents provided by the KSU community students faculty and staff, she assisted in the production of two feature length films: Award winning “Breaking News” and “Research: The Musical”.  “We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends Mary McLeod Bethune.