Department of Africana Studies

A key figure in Kent State's Black History, Oscar Ritchie continues to inspire generations of students and educators.

Julian Grimes, president of Black United Students, one of Kent State University's oldest student organizations, is working to maintain the legacy of the organization credited for starting the formal observance of February as Black History Month.
 

Sounds of joyful singing could be heard coming from Oscar Ritchie Hall, when a group of nine students and their professor from the University of Fort Hare in Alice, Eastern Cape, South Africa, were welcomed to Kent State University as part of an exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in South Africa. 

When he was a student at Kent State University, Preston Mitchum, BA ‘08, was heavily involved in student government and other organizations and recalls taking part in a considerable number of campus protests. 

Kent State faculty and students discussed belonging and other issues at author Bettina Love's book signing on Thursday. 

The Nkafu Policy Institute recently appointed Ghana native Felix Kumah-Abiwu, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Africana Studies at Kent State University, one of its Non-Resident Fellows in Governance & Democracy.