On April 4th, African American Studies honored over 25 students during the annual awards ceremony.

Max Willis is a storyteller — a multifaceted one, at that. “I can write, I can work in front of and behind the camera, I can do graphic design, I can do video editing or photo editing, I can fly a drone — I feel really well prepared,” says Willis, who will graduate with a BA in journalism and mass communication, BA in African American studies, and minor in sport and recreation management.

Dedeaux-Norris, associate professor in the UI School of Art, Art History, and Design and African American Studies, and area head of painting and drawing, will join an international cohort at the American Academy in Rome.

Graduating students identified UI employees who made a difference in their lives in and out of the classroom. The faculty and staff were identified by the UI Senior Exit Survey, and those who are mentioned by five or more students are listed in bold.

Professor Ashley Howard is the recipient of the 2024 James N. Murray Faculty Award, which honors an untenured faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding rapport with students and who creates an exemplary classroom atmosphere.

Damani Phillips, who serves as head of jazz studies and jointly appointed in African American Studies, is an accomplished performer, scholar, teacher, and composer. The Collegiate Scholar Award was inaugurated in 2008 to recognize mid-career faculty for exceptional achievement. The award carries a financial award to support the recipient's teaching and research initiatives.

The League of Women Voters Johnson County will co-host a documentary screening of “I, Too” followed by a facilitated discussion as part of the Film Scene Community.

Tara Bynum, Assistant Professor of African American Studies and English, has released a new book through the University of Illinois Press titled, "Reading Pleasures: Everyday Black Living in Early America."

Victor Ray wrote an article published in The Nation about Florida Governor Rick DeSantis's recent demand for information from college educators on “programs and initiatives” focused on “critical race theory” at Florida’s 12 public universities.

An historic coalition of attorneys, advocates, labor unions, and experts filed a series of amicus curiae briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the Biden Administration’s student debt relief program, including Assistant Professor of African American Studies, Dr. Louise Seamster.