First, that all of you for a good semester! I hope to see some of you in future classes and good luck with all your academic careers. To conclude everything, a few logistical details then links to some important events.
- Grades will be submitted to the CUNYFirst system on or before the deadline: Midnight December 28. You should be able to check your final course grade online after that. It may take a day or so to show the changes.
- Because of the volume of work right now, I can’t respond to individual emails for grades. I will return essays already submitted, but can’t answer individual questions. If I emailed you that I received your essay, I have it and will grade/return it. Use CUNYFirst to check your final grade and ask IT to help you if you can’t access the system for some reason.
- If you want to discuss papers, we can set up an appointment to do so during the break.
- If you signed up to receive emails from the course website here, follow the unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of the email to stop them. You don’t need to do anything to remove yourself from the text message list: I’ll remove everyone from that.
If you’re an Africana Studies major (and if not, you should be!), consider joining one of the professional organizations on the Resources page. Membership is inexpensive for undergraduate students and it connects you to a wider group of people working in the field. It will also give you a big advantage if you’re thinking about graduate school. Contact me in the new year if you need help sorting out which one might be right for you.
If you’re not an Africana Studies major, consider joining us. It’s also particularly good as a minor or double major and overlaps nicely with English, Sociology, Psychology, Social Work, Education, History Music and lots of others. The advantage: it’ll uniquely help you fit your work into the Black community and can be a big advantage when on the job market. See details in our department to sign up.
If anyone’s interested, I also teach a Contemporary Urban Writers course in the English Department, which is English 229. It focuses on Black, Puerto Rican, and Dominican New York City-based writers from the 1960s to the present. It’s Writing Intensive and meets the Creative Expression distribution requirement. There are 2 sections, meeting either on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons or evenings. More details here.
Now for the fun stuff. There are several New York City-area Kwanzaa events that you can attend yourself and the vast majority are designed to be family-friendly. Here are a few: [Updating as I get more info]
December 12th Movement celebrates Kwanzaa on Wednesday December 26 at Sista’s Place in Bedford Stuyvesant Brooklyn. It’s a short walk from the Nostrand Ave A train stop.
The first annual Kwanzaa at Sister’s Uptown Bookstore in Harlem is on on Saturday December 29 from 1-5 PM. They’re at 156th St and Amsterdam Ave. This one will be particularly child-focused.
National Association of Kawaida Organizations (NAKO) observes the 51st anniversary of Kwanzaa in Brooklyn on Saturday December 29 from 4-8 PM at JHS 258 with Dr. Maulana Karenga. Details here.
The Parkchester community in The Bronx will have a Kwanzaa celebration on Saturday December 29 from 4-8 PM with Dr. Leonard Jeffries, Jr. Details here.
The Board of Education for People of African Ancestry (BEPAA) holds its annual Kwanzaa celebration at the Dr. John Henrik Clarke House (286 Convent Ave. in Harlem @ 141st St, near City College) on Sunday December 31. Program runs from 6 PM – Midnight. Details TBA. Check back for more info.
Introduction to Africana Studies 