Mississippi State University's African American Studies program is welcoming a leading researcher in the field this week [Nov. 3-7] as part of its scholar-in-residence program.
Molefi Kete Asante, a professor of African-American studies at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa., created the first African American Studies doctoral program in the nation. A Georgia native, he is the author of nearly 70 books, including "Afrocentric Manifesto" (Polity, 2007). He also is the founding editor of the Journal of Black Studies.
As Americans vote Tuesday [the 4th] in the first presidential election to include an African-American as a major party candidate, Asante will be speaking at a 2 p.m. public forum in the Fowlkes Auditorium of the Colvard Student Union. A question-and-answer session will conclude the program.
He also will lead a 6:30 p.m. public lecture Thursday [the 6th] in McCool Hall's Taylor Auditorium.
During Asante's time on campus, he will be meeting with students and faculty to form a relationship to help shape MSU's African-American Studies program that was established nearly a year ago.
History professor Stephen Middleton, director of the MSU program, said visits by scholars such at Asante are designed to establish relationships between the university's new program and those at other institutions with long-established reputations.
For more information, contact Middleton at 662-325-1895 or smiddleton@aas.msstate.edu.
