The Effects of Black Studies Can Be Felt, Seen Worldwide

The rich, vast and multifaceted aspects of Black scholarship should be taught, investigated and celebrated inside and outside of the classroom, according to Timothy E. Lewis, PhD, the new Director of Black Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

"I want to take Black Studies out of the classroom, making it the premier unit on campus for implicit Black education, including documentary screenings, symposiums, historical celebrations and more," said Lewis, interim chair of the Department of Social Work, and associate professor in the Department of Political Science. "I plan to not only rely on internal funding, but I am and will continue to pursue external funding and grants to fund the program's efforts."

Lewis stepped in as director of Black Studies in October, following behind a long line of sage SIUE Black faculty members, the most recent being Kathryn Bentley, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Theater and Dance, who retired May 31.

Since October, Lewis has been busily working to elevate and expand the program. "I have already submitted a program package to update the courses and elective offerings of Black Studies, including courses like African American Politics, Theater and Racism, and African American Music," he noted. "Also, additional courses, such as a new one on the legacy of African American Women, are being developed."

In part, Lewis envisions better empowering students. "I want students to leave the program with transferable skills that they may not receive in their primary major, such as increased cultural competency, inclusive management, professional writing, analytical reasoning and more," said Lewis. "However, my ultimate goal is to build the program in such a way that the legitimacy of Black Studies as a major is undeniable."

Lewis plans to work on objectives with the purpose of the program firmly in view. "The program's mission is to educate on what it means to be Black - the Black experience in society, the sciences, history and more," he shared. "Additionally, the mission is to do this in a way that gives students real-world, transferable skills that make them competitive candidates in educational pursuits and on the job market."

Lewis emphasized that Black Studies should not be regulated to the sidelines. "Black Studies is important from a general knowledge standpoint, because for the majority of the 'American experiment,' Black people have existed either outside of citizenship or in a status of second-class citizenship," said Lewis.

"Black studies inform the resiliency of the Black people to develop a unique culture, norms, traditions, music, and institutions, in this disadvantageous reality," he continued. "By default, this disproves the myths about Black people and validates studies of race as legitimate areas of academic research."

Lewis, who has been eager for an opportunity to head up the Black Studies program at SIUE, is a scholar of identity politics. Peer-reviewed articles that he has published examine some aspect of Blackness or the Black experience. His work has been recognized in different capacities by the Northeastern Political Science Association, The National Conference of Black Political Scientists, and the American Political Science Association.

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Timothy E. Lewis, PhD, is the new Director of Black Studies at SIUE. Lewis is also interim chair of the Department of Social Work, and associate professor in the Department of Political Science.