University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Archives Department.

University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee. Dept. of Afro-American Studies. Office of the Chair. 

Records, 1968-1990.

UWM Archival Collection 7 

2.2 cubic ft. (3 boxes)



ABSTRACT:  The collection contains miscellaneous records of the Department and some items from its predecessor, the Center for Afro-American Culture. Most of the material dates from 1970 to 1972. The records document the years of transition from a Center to a full Department within the College of Letters & Science including some of the problems involved such as the need for strong leadership and credentialed faculty. The files document the daily activities of the Department as it conducted undergraduate instruction, campus and community events, and its own general administrative functions.

The files contain mostly correspondence; course and curriculum information in the form of syllabi, tests, and assignments; and minutes of department committees. The folders about the Center include letters of support from people on campus and within the community, proposal documents with budgets and class lists, and the mission statements of the Center. The correspondence of the Department is from and to on- and off-campus individuals and documents the ongoing development of the academic program. Some of the files deal with UWM African American students and faculty and how they related to the campus and inner-city communities.

There are several folders of department and faculty minutes, but the dates are scattered and there are no complete runs. Includes summaries of student evaluations (1984-90) which reveal the thoughts of students at the time about the courses and the university at large. Also includes some memos and brochures by and about the Department.

ACCESS RESTRICTIONS: There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law. However, the researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY:  The Center for Afro-American Culture began in the fall of 1969 as a response to the agitation on the part of African American students and faculty in the late 1960s. Dr. Daniel Burrell directed the Center until 1971 when the Center became the Department of Afro-American Studies and an academic unit of the College of Letters and Science. It was not until 1978 that the department was approved by the Regents to grant a bachelor's degree in the major. Up until 1978 the department offered mainly freshman and sophomore level classes in conjunction with other departments like African American history, literature, composition, economics, politics, and other current issues facing the African American community. The culture of Africa itself was included for study within the curriculum whenever possible with courses such as several levels of the Swahili language.

The following information is edited from Frank A. Cassell, J. Martin Klotsche, and Frederick I. Olson, The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee A Historical Profile, 1885-1992 (Milwaukee: UWM Foundation, Inc., 1992:

Afro-American Studies reflects the growth and development of a community of scholars and students who share a professional and intellectual commitment to the rigorous, systematic, theoretical and empirical enquiry into the range of phenomena that constitutes the substratum of Black people's life experiences and structures the context as well as the content of their life prospects.

The B.A. in Afro-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee fosters a sound analytical and empirical knowledge of the life histories and prospects of African Americans. It scrutinizes objects, actions and events affecting the well-being of Blacks in America, and in regions of the world with the largest concentrations of Black people -- Africa, North and South America, and the Caribbean. Additionally, the B.A. in Afro-American Studies educates students in the best traditions of the liberal arts and sciences, and makes a significant contribution to knowledge pertaining to the past, present and future roles of Blacks in structuring qualitatively as well as quantitatively the actualities and possibilities of life in their society.

These goals are achieved through a framework of carefully crafted requirements. Every student in Afro-American Studies is required to take at least one course each in logic and statistics. Majors must also gain a sense of the foundations of African American Studies, regardless of their areas of concentration. They are thus required to take one course in the Political Economy of African America and one on the Culture and Society of African America. The student may then elect to concentrate one of two options: Option A (The Political Economy of African America) or Option B (The Culture and Society of African America.) In either case, 24 credits are required to complete the major.

Students can also minor in Afro-American Studies. The purpose of the minor is to expose students to a range of concepts, theories and phenomena that ground the discipline of African American Studies. Students are required to take 18 credits to complete the minor.

Through its curriculum, the department prepares students for career opportunities in government, teaching, business, the professions, and social services. In doing so, Afro-American Studies lay a foundation for advanced studies not only in the discipline of African American Studies (Africology), but also in such fields as economics, politics, sociology, history, English, law and public administration. Some graduates have become lawyers and physicians, and others have pursued careers or studies in library science, theology, and psychology.

The department is dedicated to lending its expertise on issues affecting the African American community in particular and the general population. Faculty members serve on the boards of organizations such as the Ko-Thi Dance Company, and are active members of other social, political, economic and religious institutions/associations.

COLLECTION CITATION: This collection should be cited as:

University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee. Dept. of Afro-American Studies.  Office of the Chair. Records, 1968-1990. UWM Archival Collection 7. University Archives. UWM Libraries. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

RELATED COLLECTIONS:

University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee. College of Letters & Science. Office of the Dean. Records. (UWM Archival Collection 1)

Materials can be found on the Ad Hoc Committee on Afro-American Students; affirmative action plans; Black student advising; the proposed 1968 mentor project; minority students; the Dept. of Afro-American Studies; and controversies concerning the cancellation of WUWM radio programs aimed at the African American community.

ACQUISITION:  The Dept. of Afro-American Studies transferred the collection to the Archives on 21 September 1988.

PROCESSING:  Julee Bokelman processed the collection between January and April 1993 at the University Archives.

MARC RECORD SEARCH TERMS: The following terms were used in the online bibliographic MARC record to this collection:

UWM ARCHIVAL COLLECTION 7 BOX FOLDER
Ad Hoc Committee on Afro-American Studies and Services for Black Students, 1977 1 1
Afro-American Studies Proposal, 1975-1976 1 2
Afro-American Studies Reports, 1972-1974 1 3
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., 1970-1973 1 4
Annual Academic Activities, 1973 1 5
An Anthropological Look at Milwaukee's Black Community, undated 1 6
Association of Black Professionals, 1973 1 7
Barrow, Lionel C., 1974-1975 1 8
Black and Beautiful, 1970, 1985 1 9
Black Community Student Alliance, 1972 1 10
Black History Week, 1975-1976 1 11
Black History Week, 1978-1979 1 12
Black Student Union, 1972 1 13
Black Vibrations, 1971-1972 1 14
Brochures, 1971-1983 1 15
Burrell, Daniel, 1969 1 16
Center for Afro-American Culture, 1968-1972 1 17
Center for Afro-American Studies, 1969-1971 1 18
Center for Afro-American Studies, Minutes, 1969-1970 1 19
Certificate in Afro-American Studies, undated 1 20
Community Education Program, 1970 1 21
Correspondence, 1968-1977 1 22-29
Correspondence, 1973-1974 1 30
Correspondence, 1975-1976 1 31
Correspondence, 1977-1978 1 32
Correspondence, 1987-1988 1 33
Course and Curriculum Files, 1970 1 34-35
Course and Curriculum Files, 1971 1 36
Course and Curriculum Files, 1971 2 1-3
Course and Curriculum Files, 1973 2 4
Course and Curriculum Files, 1973-1974 2 5
Course and Curriculum Files, 1977-1978 2 6
Course and Curriculum Files, 1979-1980 2 7-8
Course and Curriculum Files, 1981 2 10
Course and Curriculum Files, 1987-1988 2 11
Course & Curriculum Committee, 1972-1973 2 12
Dance Courses, 1974-1975 2 13
Dean's Ad Hoc Committee on Afro-American Studies Meeting, 1976 December 7 [Audio reels (¼ in., 1 ⅞ ips) 1 and 2]2 14
Dean's Ad Hoc Committee on Afro-American Studies Meeting, 1979 November 22 [Audio reels (¼ in., 1 ⅞ ips) 1 and 2]2 15
Departmental Minutes, 1971-1979 2 16
Executive Committee, 1974-1990 2 17
Faculty Minutes, 1972-1979 2 18
Five Year Review, Undergraduate, 1980-1985 2 19
Film Project We Own the Night, undated 2 20
History of the Department, undated 2 21
Interdisciplinary Major in Afro-American Studies, 1974-1975 2 22
Lecture and Lyceum Committee, 1973-1974 2 23
Major in Afro-American Studies, 1972 2 24
Major-Proposal Information, 1973-1977 2 25
Mass Communication and Afro-American Studies, 1972-1974 2 26
Organizational Information, 1975-1976 2 27
Planning Documents, 1981-1990 2 28
Program Expansion Questionnaires, undated 2 29
Project 26 Questionnaires, undated 2 30
"Public Service Careers" Students, 1972-1973 2 31
Public Service Committee, 1974 2 32
Rapport Afro-American/Community Concern Committee, 1971 2 33
Reports, 1969-1979 2 34
School of Education, 1974-1975 2 35
School of Social Welfare, 1974-1975 2 36
Spaights, Ernest, 1968-1969 2 37
Sponsor & Co-sponsorships, 1974-1977 2 38
Staff Lists, 1973-1974 2 39
Staff Memos, 1970-1971 3 1
Staff Memos, 1971-1972 3 2
Staff Memos, 1972-1973 3 3
Student Evaluations, 1984-90 3 4
Symposium on Africa, May, 1971 3 5
Taking Care of Business, 1981 3 6
UWM Inner City Program, 1970 3 7

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Last edited on Wednesday, November 15, 2006.
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