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University of Illinois Chicago
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University of Illinois Chicago

Black Studies

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Welcome Message from Dr. Joseph Jewell, Department Head

Black Studies is essential training for living and working in the 21st Century. The Department of Black Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago is at the cutting edge of research and teaching about today’s most pressing issues:

  • global protests to save Black lives
  • mass incarceration
  • health disparities in the age of COVID-19
  • school-to-prison pipeline
  • slavery and reparations
  • Black arts and performance
  • queer Black life
  • immigrants and refugees
  • Blackness in the media
  • teaching Black history
  • Black communities and politics
  • feminist leadership and legacies

We focus on the history, culture and politics of African-descended people in the Americas and around the globe in the quest for a more just and equitable world. Join Us!

Explore Black Studies at UIC Heading link

News Heading link

Man standing with open arms.
Professor David Stovall comments on dropping rate of violent crime in Illinois
Monday, January 9, 2023
An Axios Chicago story on the rate of violent crime offenses in Illinois dropping over the last three decades includes comments from David Stovall, UIC professor of Black Studies and Criminology, Law, and…
Woman smiling against grey background
Congratulations to Dr. Beth E. Richie nominated a 2022 Marguerite Casey Freedom Scholar
Monday, January 9, 2023
Congratulations to our very own Dr. Beth E. Richie – LAS Distinguished Professor, Head of the Department of Criminology, Law and Justice and Professor of Black Studies at UIC, nominated a 2022 Marguerite…
Headshot of a Black woman smiling against an white background
Congratulations to PhD Student Sekordri Ojo - a winner of the Fall 2022 President's Research in Diversity Travel Assistance Program
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Congratulations to Sekordri Ojo–BLST concentrator and PhD student in the History Department–for winning an award for the Fall 2022 President’s Research in Diversity Travel Assistance Program. Sekordri was selected from a competitive pool…

Upcoming Events in Black Studies Heading link

Jan 16 2023
small flyer announcing student awards in Black Studies

Applications Open: Grace Holt Memorial Award & BLST Departmental Award

1/16/23, 12:00 am–3/27/23, 12:00 pm
Feb 7 2023
image of event description with yellow green and black background

Talkback Tuesday Series Spring 23

2/7/23, 11:00 am–4/4/23, 12:30 pm Central Time
Join on ZOOM (links provided below)
Mar 10 2023
Event Flyer. title of event series in large font at the top of the page. Text with details of the event at the middle of the date against a dark background.

BLST Friday Luncheons: High on the Hog

Friday 10th, 12:00 am–Friday 31st, 2:00 pm Central Standard Time
1250 UH
Apr 4 2023
Person in black turtleneck sitting with arms folded

The conversation was always in the kitchen: stories of Black women working as cooks in Brazil - Dr. Taís de Sant'Ann Machado

Tuesday, 11:00 pm–12:30 pm Central Time
Apr 18 2023
Graphic with background in shades of blue. Title of event at top of flyer in large white font. Details of speaker at the bottom of image.

2023 Grace Holt Lecture: Foodways and Food Justice in the African Diaspora Featuring Dr. Psyche Williams-Forson

Tuesday, 3:30 pm–6:00 pm CT
Student Center East (SCE) room 302