Slide:
A dark blue slide, headed by the Brandeis official seal, in white appears. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University
Department of African and African American Studies
Celebrating the Class of 2020
Slide:
A pink and orange slide appears. On the left there is a looped video of a group of people, all dressed in formal wear, clapping. There is text on the slide. It reads:
The Department of African and African American Studies Honors the Class of 2020.
Slide:
A photo of Professor Chad Williams sitting cross-legged and smiling in a chair, at the front of a wood paneled classroom.
Slide:
A photo of a group of students are dressed in different types of formal wear. They are standing and sitting in front of a colorful tapestry hung outside of Levin Ballroom.
Slide:
A photo of a student smiling and holding up her hand.
Slide:
A photo of two students, dropping flower petals onto the Dominican and Haitian flags in front of a table covered in a black sheet in the Merrick Theater, at the AAAS and LALS-sponsored performance of "Eddie's Perejil," which interprets the Haitian Massacre of 1937. There are around a dozen people in chairs watching.
Slide:
A group of five students are sitting in blue chairs in Levin Ballroom. They are talking and laughing.
Slide:
A photograph of the AAAS 50th Commemoration in Levin Ballroom. There are students standing and talking, as well as professors, administration, and presenters. On the stage, there are several chairs, a podium, two posters, and a projector screen, on which the following text is written: "Brandeis University AAAS 50th Commemoration."
Slide:
A photograph of two students smiling at the camera. They are in front of a white background.
Slide:
A photograph of six students in Swig Lounge in the Intercultural Center. Four of the students are sitting together on a blue couch, while two other students sit in front of the couch. All students are looking at the camera and wearing name tags.
Slide:
A photograph of three smiling students in Levin Ballroom. The students are wearing coordinated outfits with bold red, yellow, green and black patterns.
Slide:
A photograph of the audience in Levin Ballroom at the AAAS 50th Anniversary Commemoration. Everyone in the photograph is smiling or laughing.
Slide:
A photograph of the Night For Africa in Levin Ballroom. Above the stage there is a large white banner that has "Night For Africa" written in silver and gold letters. On the stage there are a group of students all in black tops and colorful skirts, standing in a "V" formation. Hanging off the stage there is a smaller banner that says "BASO Brandeis African Students Organization" in white letters on a colorful, patterned background.
Slide:
A photograph of two students, hugging and smiling. They are standing in front of the Pan-African flag, and to the left of them are the flags for Kenya and Mozambique. All the flags are hung vertically on a white wall.
Slide:
A photograph of four students, standing together and smiling at the camera during a AAAS 50th Anniversary Commemoration event in the Faculty Club.
Slide:
A photograph of a student talking to a professor, at a AAAS 50th Anniversary Commemoration event in the Faculty Club.
Slide:
A photograph of three students standing, eating, drinking, and talking with each other.
Slide:
A photograph of two students, sitting together on a blue couch in the Intercultural Center. One of the students is smiling and the other one is holding a bottle of apple juice. Both of the students have name tags on.
Slide:
A photograph of nine students looking at the camera. Six of the students are standing and three of them are kneeling. Behind them is a red tile wall.
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A photograph of the audience at a AAAS 50th Anniversary Commemoration event. The focus of the picture is a student in an orange sweater, hand under chin, looking focused and engaged.
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A photograph of a student, on the Levin Ballroom stage. The student is speaking into a microphone and is holding papers, reading from them. The student is in front of a black backdrop with large painted leaves on it.
Slide:
A photograph of the audience in Levin Ballroom. The focus of the picture is a student standing at a microphone with a small notebook in hand.
Slide:
Nine photographs in a square. Each photograph is of a different student. Across the center photograph are the words, "Shades of Blackness," written in black cursive.
Slide:
A photograph of a fashion show in Levin Ballroom. All present are in formal wear and there is a line of several people walking down a row in the crowd of people.
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A photograph of a group of students in casual wear, smiling and posing for the camera. They are at a dinner in the Mandel Atrium, and behind them there are tables of people who are all eating and drinking.
Slide:
A photograph of the crowd at a AAAS 50th Anniversary Commemoration event. There are a few people in focus in the picture and they are all smiling and looking forward.
Slide:
A photograph of a student on stage. The student is holding a microphone and dressed in bright and colorful clothes.
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A photograph of two students, eating food at Prof. Chad Williams' endowed chair recognition celebration.
Slide:
A photograph of the Platinum Step Team, all wearing matching blue shirts that say "Platinum Step Team", and holding their hands so that only their thumbs and pinkies are out and touching the thumb of their left hands to the pinkies of their right hands and vise versa.
Slide:
A photograph of the audience at a AAAS 50th Anniversary Commemoration event in Levin Ballroom. The focus of the photograph is a student with two hands up by their head while talking into a microphone.
Slide:
A photograph of the crowd at an event in the Intercultural Center. All people in the audience are looking toward a projector screen which displays Prof. Angela Davis, '65.
Slide:
A photograph of four student and alumni panelists, at a Ford Hall anniversary commemoration presentation in the Heller School atrium. All the students are looking up towards a projector screen that is showing a video of Martin Luther King Jr. giving a speech.
Slide:
A photograph of the inaugural M. Jacqui Alexander lecture in African Diaspora Studies in Skyline Commons. Honored speaker Prof. Faith Smith is standing at a podium, delivering her lecture to a crowd of attentive people (including Prof. M. Jacqui Alexander, second from left).
Slide:
A photograph of three people, Profs. Faith Smith, Hortense Spillers, and Aliyyah Abdur-Rahman (left to right), smiling and looking at the camera. Behind them there is a poster for the AAAS 50th Anniversary Commemoration.
Slide:
A photograph of Prof. Amber Spry, speaking animatedly at the front of a classroom. Behind her is a blackboard on which there is written a list with the heading "Post Racial".
Slide:
A photograph of Profs. Emilie Diouf and Wangui Muigai (left to right) talking at Prof. Chad Williams endowed chair celebration event in the Mandel Atrium. There are other people standing and talking in the background as well.
Slide:
A photograph of students from the AAAS department, at the bottom of a set of outdoor stairs. Prof. Chad Williams stands near the back left in a blue sweatshirt.
Slide:
A photograph of Prof. Amber Spry giving a lecture to a group of engaged students in one of her classes.
Slide:
A photograph of a professor talking to a group of students in Levin Ballroom.
Slide:
A photograph of Prof. Angela Davis '65, standing up and smiling in the audience in the Faculty Club dining room.
Slide:
A photograph of a student, speaking into a microphone while holding a phone.
Slide:
A photograph of Profs. Hortense Spillers, PhD '74, and Faith Smith (left to right) sitting in chairs on stage at a AAAS 50th Anniversary Commemoration event in Levin Ballroom.
Slide:
A photograph of Prof. Faith Smith at a podium introducing Prof. Hortense Spillers, PhD '74, seated on the stage near the podium. Prof. Spillers humbly covers her face.
Slide:
Black slide with white text. The text on the slide reads:
Video by:
Chari Calloway
Slide:
Dark blue slide with white text. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Chad Williams
Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Professor of History and African and African American Studies
Chair, Department of African and African American Studies
Professor Chad Williams appears on screen in formal dress. Behind him is a red wall with several sculptures and framed artwork on it.
Chad Williams:
Family, friends, students, good afternoon. My name is Chad Williams, and I have the honor of serving as chair of the Department of African and African-American Studies at Brandeis University. Welcome to the celebration of the remarkable 2020 graduates of the AAAS department.
Well, this is different. Under normal circumstances, we would be gathered in Schwartz Auditorium, and I would be able to experience the joy of looking into the audience and seeing the faces of our graduates and your cheering sections. These are, of course, far from normal times. This global pandemic has upturned all of our lives, some much more than others.
So I want to first acknowledge disparate suffering experienced by our communities and offer my sympathies to anyone who has experienced loss during this unprecedented historical moment. But even in the midst of suffering, we have always found time for joy and love. We come together today, through our screens from our various parts of the country and even the world, to be in community and recognize the achievements of the Brandeis AAAS class of 2020. This program, modest as it may be, is our gift to you and an acknowledgment of our deep love for you and what you and your families have accomplished.
Slide:
A dark blue slide with white text. There are two rows of four pictures of professors. From left to right the top row is: Chad Williams, Salah Hassan, Wangui Muigai, and Wellington W. Nyangoni. From left to right, the bottom row is Carina Ray, Shoniqua Roach, Faith L. Smith, and Amber Spry. The text on the slide reads:
AAAS Faculty and Staff
Chad Williams:
Before going any further, I would like to recognize the outstanding faculty of the AAAS department, beginning with our core faculty members. Salah Hassan, Wangui Muigai, Wellington Nyangoni, Carina Ray, Shoniqua Roach, Faith Smith, and Amber Spry.
Slide:
A dark blue slide with white text. There are two rows of five pictures of professors. From left to right the top row is: Greg Childs, Abby Cooper, Emilie Diouf, Anita Hill, and Bryan Horton. From left to right, the bottom row is: Daniel Kryder, Siri Suh, Derron Wallace, Isaiah Wooden, and Leah Wright Rigueur. The text on the slide reads:
AAAS Affiliate Faculty
Chad Williams:
And our affiliate faculty members. Greg Childs, Abby Cooper, Emilie Diouf, Anita Hill, Brian Horton, Daniel Kryder, Siri Suh, Derron Wallace, Isaiah Wooden, and Leah Wright Rigueur.
Professor Chad Williams appears on screen in formal dress. Behind him is a red wall with several sculptures and framed artwork on it.
Chad Williams:
I wanted to thank our undergraduate department representatives, Chari Calloway and Kwesi Jones, for their service and commitment this past year, as well as our work-study students, Rebecah Kennedy and Brittany Nanton.
Big shout-out to Brandeis Media Technology Services, and in particular John Pizzi, for their assistance and expertise in helping us put together today's program.
Slide:
A dark blue slide with white text. There is a photograph of Betsy Plumb in the middle of the slide. The text on the slide reads:
Betsy Plumb
Chad Williams:
And finally, I want to give a special acknowledgement and thanks to Betsy Plumb, the academic administrator for the AAAS department. She has helped us get through this challenging semester and worked hard to make this virtual celebration a success. We are extremely grateful for everything that she does.
Professor Chad Williams appears on screen in formal dress. Behind him is a red wall with several sculptures and framed artwork on it.
Chad Williams:
Now, some of our faculty members would like to share a few words with you.
Slide:
Dark blue slide with white text. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Wangui Muigai
Assistant Professor of AAAS and History
Professor Wangui Muigai appears on screen in a well lit white room with a fireplace and small set of drawers.
Wangui Muigai:
Hi, this is Professor Wangui Muigai sending my congratulations to the incredible class of 2020. I join you in celebrating all that you have accomplished during your years at Brandeis. These are extraordinary times, and your gifts and talents are needed now more than ever. I wish you much success, and I'm cheering you on. Congratulations.
Slide:
A dark blue slide with white text. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Carina Ray
Associate Professor of AAAS
Professor Carina Ray appears on screen, sitting on a couch in a room with beige walls and big windows.
Carina Ray:
Congratulations to the graduating class of 2020 in African and African-American studies. We could not be prouder of all of your accomplishments as individuals, but also collectively as a wonderful and brilliant group of students. And I especially want to salute each and every one of you for handling a challenging, challenging set of circumstances in the final semester of your senior year and meeting those challenges with both grace and brilliance. I know you will take that fortitude far in life. And to salute you, I have a little, special musical number for all of you.
The camera pans to the left and reveals two children sitting in the same room. One child has a drum and the other child has a violin. They play a short call-and-response-style composition.
Carina Ray and the children:
Congratulations to the class of 2020.
Slide:
A dark blue slide with white text. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Shoniqua Roach
Assistant Professor of AAAS and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Professor Shoniqua Roach appears on screen in a room with beige walls.
Shoniqua Roach:
Hi, everyone. I'm Shoniqua Roach, Assistant Professor in African and African-American Studies and Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies. Congratulations, you've made it. Now, I'm sure this is not the world you thought you'd be entering into when you matriculated here at Brandeis. But I'm confident that the work you've done, both inside and outside of this department, has equipped you with the necessary tools and skills so desperately needed to aid in what we need to see as a global transformation. Congratulations, I'm so deeply excited for each and every one of you.
Slide:
A dark blue slide with white text. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Amber Spry
Assistant Professor of AAAS and Politics
Professor Amber Spry appears on screen in a beige room in front of a dresser.
Amber Spry:
Hi, class of 2020. I'm Professor Amber Spry in the Department of African and African-American Studies and Politics. I'm so excited for the possibilities ahead for you. I hope you take a look at your passions, the things you care about, take a look at the people you care about, the communities you're committed to serving. Somewhere at the intersection of all those things, you'll make incredible contributions to the world. And I'm so excited to cheer you on. Congratulations on all your hard work. You did it.
Slide:
A dark blue slide with white text. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Anita Hill
University Professor of Social Policy, Law and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Professor Anita Hill appears on screen, sitting in a room with beige walls and a framed piece of artwork.
Anita Hill:
Class of 2020, you've weathered many challenges and much uncertainty. And you've emerged with new resolve, new knowledge, and a Brandeis University degree. Congratulations, you make all of us at AAAS and throughout the university proud.
Slide:
A dark blue slide with white text. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Chad Williams
Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Professor of History and AAAS
Chair, Department of AAAS
Professor Chad Williams appears on screen in formal dress. Behind him is a red wall with several sculptures and framed artwork on it.
Chad Williams:
Class of 2020, we've been through a lot. You and AAAS, together, have grown in so many ways over the past four years. You've had the opportunity to engage with some of the greatest intellectuals and artists in Black studies. You've had the privilege of working with brilliant, inspirational, and just plain fierce professors. And our classes, Intro to AAAS, Economy and Society in Africa, Black Feminist Thought, Writing on the Walls, Intro to African History, Hip Hop History and Culture, the Other African-Americans, Literature of the Caribbean, African-Americans in Health, African Icons, Critical Race Theory, African-American Political Thought. You wrote and read, discussed and debated, sang and danced, laughed and sometimes cried.
We pushed you to your limits because we saw the unlimited potential in you. And you have not just met, but far surpassed our expectations. Being able to share this moment with you today and celebrate you and all of your brilliance, creativity, passion, and commitment is truly one the greatest honors that we as your professors will ever have.
AAAS has been and always will be your home. We, your professors, hope that we have given you the language to not just understand, but wholly embrace who you are. We hope that we have provided you a department that allowed, yes, for a sense of refuge, but also the opportunity to engage in subversive learning. Indeed, what you have brilliantly done is stake claim to the education you desire. We have given you that opportunity. We opened the door. But it was your responsibility to step into that world of deep learning, hard questioning, and at times painful self discovery. What we exposed you to in the classroom, the histories, literatures, politics, cultures, and philosophies of African-Americans and other peoples of African descent, provided you with intellectual armor and weaponry to do battle against the forces at Brandeis and elsewhere that refuse to fully value your existence and the beauty of your humanity.
Finally, you are part of a larger, rich history of Black life at Brandeis, in and out of the classroom, that spans academia, culture, politics, and activism. 50 years ago, some of the first students to take classes in the newly established Department of African and African-American Studies were graduating from Brandeis. The AAAS Department was a radical vision, a dream, that critical academic study of the Black experience mattered, that Black studies should have a place at Brandeis, and that this university would be a better, more complete place because of it. The following brief video offers just a glimpse of the legacy of AAAS, and reminds us why centering Black people and how we tell the story of Brandeis University also matters. So enjoy.
Slide:
Dark green slide with red and white text. The text on the slide reads:
AAAS 50th Commemoration
Slide:
A red, green, and yellow fist appears on a black background. The fist is made up of text with words relating to AAAS.
Slide:
There is a green and yellow slide with black and white text on the slide. On the right there is a black and white picture of Martin Luther King Jr. surrounded by a crowd of people. The text on the slide reads:
1960s
Martin Luther King Jr. Visits Campus
Slide:
A dark green slide with black text. On the left there is a black and white photo of a march with people carrying signs, one of which says "Brandeis University". The text on the slide reads:
"Rights for All!"
Slide:
Two black and white photographs of Angela Davis, side by side. The text on the slide reads:
Angela Davis '65
Slide:
A black and white photograph of Fannie Lou Hamer in profile on a green background. The text on the slide reads:
Fannie Lou Hamer
Slide:
A dark green slide with black text. There is a black and white photograph of Ricardo A. Millet on the left of the slide, as well as a photograph of the protest at Joseph and Clara Ford Hall. The text on the slide reads:
Ricardo A. Millet '68
Slide:
A dark green slide with black text. There is a black and white photograph of the protest on the Joseph and Clara Ford Hall, showing students walking and holding signs. The text on the slide reads:
Ford Hall Protest
Slide:
A black and white photograph of protest on Ford Hall. There are many students marching and some are carrying signs. The three that are in focus say "Life, Liberty, and Afros," "We Demand Amnesty," and "If We Lose Now, You'll Lose In The Future."
Slide:
A dark green slide with white and black text. To the right, there is a black and white photograph of Ronald Walters in formal wear. The text on the slide reads:
AAAS established in 1969
Ronald Walters named department chair
Slide:
Two black and white photographs side by side. The one on the left shows two students embracing and the one on the right shows two students paying attention to a lecture.
Slide:
A dark green slide with black text. In the center there is a black and white photograph of Professor Wellington Nyangoni. The text on the slide reads:
Professor Wellington Nyangoni
Slide:
A black and white photograph of two students talking. The black text on the slide reads:
1970s
Slide:
A black and white photograph of students walking up and down the Rabb steps between classes. The student in focus is wearing a leather jacket and is carrying books under their right arm.
Slide:
A black and white photograph of two students. Both students are wearing similar clothes, bucket hats, and have their hands on their hips. They are standing in front of stairs leading up to a porch.
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A black and white photograph of four students smiling and posing for the camera. Three are sitting and one is standing.
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A black and white photograph of two students standing outside. They are both wearing many layers and are dressed for cold weather. They are both looking at the camera and one of them is smiling.
Slide:
A black and white photograph of a large group of students in formal clothing.
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A dark green slide with black text. On the right there is a black and white photograph of Vere Plummer. The text on the slide reads:
Vere Plummer '74
Slide:
Two black and white photographs of two students standing in front of a blackboard. On the blackboard in each picture is a photograph of a schedule for an event.
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A black and white photograph of a a graduation. There are many students standing together in caps and gowns as well as formal wear.
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A black and white photograph of three students in casual dress smiling and posing for the camera.
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A black and white photograph of two students sitting in front of a poster. They are looking at the camera, but not smiling.
Slide:
A black and white photograph of a group of students standing and talking. There is red text on the photograph. The text on the slide reads:
1980s
Slide:
A black and white photograph of two students standing on either side of a professor. All are in formal wear.
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A black and white photograph of a group of five students smiling at the camera, dressed in casual wear.
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A black and white photograph of a professor reading a newspaper.
Slide:
A dark green and yellow slide with white and black text. On the left there is a black and white photograph of three Brandeis professors standing in front of a bookcase. The text on the slide reads:
1990s
Wellington Nyangoni
Ibrahim Sundiata
Michael West
Slide:
A black and white photograph of two students sitting together with soda and a bowl of popcorn. The students are leaning together and smiling for the camera.
Slide:
A dark green and yellow slide with white and black text. On the right of the slide, there is a photograph of Senator Cory Booker, dressed in regalia, sitting among Brandeis graduates. The text on the slide reads:
The 2000s
Cory Booker
Commencement Speaker
Slide:
A dark green slide with black text. On the left there is a photograph of Professor Ibrahim Sundiata lecturing in front of a blackboard. The text on the slide reads:
Ibrahim Sundiata
Professor Emeritus of History
Slide:
A dark green slide with black text. At the top of the slide there is a photograph of Professor Faith Smith giving a lecture to a class while standing at a podium. The text on the slide reads:
Professor Faith Smith
Slide:
A dark green slide with black text. In the middle, there is a photograph of Professor Chad Williams giving a lecture to a class in front of a projector screen. The text on the slide reads:
Chad Williams
Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Chair in History
Slide:
A photograph of a large crowd of students gathered on the Rabb Steps. Three students are standing in the center and one has a megaphone. The black text on the photograph reads:
#FordHall2015
Slide:
A photograph of a large group of students marching past Upper Usdan. The students are all chanting something together. There are many posters, but only one is seen in full. It says, "President Lynch, the time for action is now". The white text on the photograph reads:
#FordHall2015
Slide:
A dark green slide with white text. There are two photographs on the slide. On the left is a photograph of Anita Hill from 1991. On the right is a photograph of Anita Hill and Kerry Washington sitting in chairs on stage with microphones. The text on the slide reads:
Kerry Washington
Anita Hill
Slide:
A photograph of students marching past the statue of Louis D. Brandeis.
Slide:
A photograph of a recent graduate speaking at a podium at graduation. Behind the student, there are professors standing up and clapping.
Slide:
A dark green slide with white and black text. At the bottom of the slide there is a photograph of Julieanna Richardson, dressed in regalia, standing behind a podium and speaking at the 2016 Brandeis Commencement, with both arms raised above her head. The text on the slide reads:
Julieanna Richardson '76
'16 Commencement Speaker
Slide:
A dark green slide with black text. In the center there is a photograph of a symposium at Brandeis. There are a group of presenters in chairs, facing an audience full of students who all have notebooks or laptops open. The text on the slide reads:
Black Lives Matter Symposium
Slide:
A dark green slide with white and black text. There are two photographs on this slide. On the left is a black and white photograph of Beverly Tatum. On the right is a color photograph of Beverly Tatum holding a paper and talking to a person. The text on the slide reads:
Gitler Prize Winner
Beverly Tatum
Slide:
A dark green slide with white and black text. On the top of the slide there is a photograph of Freeman Hrabowski speaking at a podium at the 2018 Brandeis Commencement. The text on the slide reads:
Freeman Hrabowski
2018 Commencement Speaker
Slide:
A photograph of a group of students posing for a picture outside together. They are all wearing blue lanyards.
Slide:
A photograph of two students hugging. Both are dressed in a cap and gown and smiling.
Slide:
Dark green slide with red and white text. The text on the slide reads:
AAAS 50th Commemoration
Slide:
A red, green, and yellow fist appears on a black background. The fist is made up of text with words relating to AAAS.
Slide:
A black slide with white text. The text on the slide reads:
Special thanks to:
Chloe Morse-Harding, our Reference and Instruction Archivist
Photo Contributers:
Julianne Brown
Mike Lovett
Music Composer:
Vital
Produced by:
Tarah Llewellyn
Professor Chad Williams appears on screen in formal dress. Behind him is a red wall with several sculptures and framed artwork on it.
Chad Williams:
One of the most exciting parts of this four-year journey has been to watch all of you grow, mature, and embrace your unique voices. A few of your fellow graduates took the time to express some of their thoughts and reflections on their AAAS experiences. We would like to share their words with you.
Slide:
A dark blue slide with white text. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Lucia Pugh-Sellers
Lucia Pugh-Sellers appears on screen, sitting outside in front of a tree.
Lucia Pugh-Sellers:
The AAAS Department is the best department at Brandeis. After a high school experience that really beat me down, my time in the AAAS Department truly invigorated my love for learning, so much so that I even wrote a thesis, "Seeing Humans, Making Commodities": Slave Ship Rebellions on Film. I am so eternally grateful for the learning I have done in this department thanks to the unparalleled passion and guidance of the professors and my fellow students. I especially want to shout out Professors Chad Williams, Faith Smith, Greg Childs, Derron Wallace, Patrick Sylvain, and Aliyyah Abdur-Rahman for their incredible teaching and my fellow graduates for all the great things I know they will accomplish. I can't wait to see.
Slide:
A dark blue slide with white text. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Victoria Richardson
Victoria Richardson appears on screen in front of a bookcase in a room with white walls.
Victoria Richardson:
It was in my freshman year at Brandeis that I knew that I was gonna declare a AAAS major. It took one class, and already AAAS felt like home. It was in the department that I found a community, not only in professors that looked like me and cared for me deeply, not only through peers that challenged me to think critically, but through the stories, the work, the history. That's where I found home. That's where I found a community that really supported me during my time at Brandeis. I am so grateful that, four years later, I am able to graduate with a AAAS degree. I am so excited to bring everything that I've learned in the department into the world outside of Brandeis. I am forever grateful to be a Black studies scholar.
Slide:
A dark blue slide with white text. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Jehman Williams
Jehman Williams appears on screen in front of a colorful tapestry.
Jehman Williams:
I am so excited to call myself a Brandeis graduate with a major in African, African-American Studies and a minor in Hispanic studies. It's been a difficult four years for me, both personally and otherwise. So I'd like to take a moment to feel proud of all it took to get here. I encourage all my fellow graduates to take a moment to do the same. I'd like to honor the professors that have my made experience in the AAAS department all that it has been. All of you have truly made me feel valued, and you've cared for me as though I were your family. Thank you, Professor Williams, for setting the tone in AAAS 5A, the ensuing academic journey I would take on in my time here, and for bringing hip hop into Brandeis academia. Professor Ray, for offering me your mentorship and guidance in conducting rigorous research. Professor Muigai, for encouraging my passion for questioning health disparities across lines of race, gender, and class. And countless other professors that have attributed significant value to the study of intersectional, Afro-diasporic models of blackness that have ultimately brought me to this present moment.
I would like to explicitly honor my peers for whom this experience has not been easy: students of color, first-generation students, low income, and immigrant students. I applaud you for your achievement. Lastly, I would like to extend gratitude towards the friends and family that have carried me forward. My mother, for the countless video calls, helping me feel calm and capable when I felt overwhelmed. My seven siblings, for providing support and laughs along the way. My step mother, for sending endless amounts of love and care my way. And for my father, who did not make it to see my four years of undergrad come to fruition, but has inspired me and will continue to inspire me to show up in the best way that I can and to live my life in kindness and service. Thank you, I love you dearly, AAAS Department.
Slide:
A dark blue slide with white text. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Chad Williams
Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Professor of History and AAAS
Chair, Department of AAAS
Professor Chad Williams appears on screen in formal dress. Behind him is a red wall with several sculptures and framed artwork on it.
Chad Williams:
The Department of African and African-American Studies bestows two awards to our graduating seniors. First is the W.E.B. Du Bois Award for Excellence in AAAS.
Slide:
A dark blue slide with white text. In the center there is a photograph of W. E. B. Du Bois. The text on the slide reads:
W. E. B. Du Bois Award for Excellence in AAAS
Professor Chad Williams appears on screen in formal dress. Behind him is a red wall with several sculptures and framed artwork on it.
Chad Williams:
Speaking at the 1898 commencement ceremony of his alma mater, Fisk University, Du Bois, arguably the greatest Black intellectual in American history, said to the graduates before him, "And with the life work chosen, remember that it can become as you will it: drudgery or heroism, prosaic or romantic, brutal or divine. If you make the object of your life calling food and drink, food and drink will yield you grudgingly. But if above and beyond mere existence you seek to play well your part because it is worth playing, to do your duty, because the world thirsts for your service, to perform clean, honest, thorough work, not for cheap applause, but because the work needs to be done, then has all your toil and drudgery transfigured into divine service and joins the mighty lives that have swept beyond time into the everlasting world."
The W.E.B. Du Bois Award for Excellence in AAAS is presented to an outstanding senior who, like Du Bois, has demonstrated mastery of African and African-American Studies as an inherently interdisciplinary and diasporic field and modeled what it means to be an engaged scholar, committed to, as Du Bois said, divine service. This year we cannot settle on just one person. So on the behalf of the faculty of AAAS, it is my great privilege to present the 2020 W.E.B. Du Bois Award for Excellence in AAAS to Makayla Richards and Jehman Williams.
Slide:
A dark blue slide with white text. On the left, there is the same photograph of W. E. B. Du Bois that was shown before. In the center, there is a photograph of Makayla Richards with a white background. On the right there is a photograph of Jehman Williams in front of a flowering bush. The text on the slide reads:
W. E. B. Du Bois Award for Excellence in AAAS
Makayla Richards
Jehman Williams
Professor Chad Williams appears on screen in formal dress. Behind him is a red wall with several sculptures and framed artwork on it.
Chad Williams:
Our second award is the Angela Davis '65 Prize for Commitment to Disciplinary Service and Activism in African and African-American Studies.
Slide:
A dark blue slide with white text. In the center there is a photograph of Angela Davis smiling at the camera. The text on the slide reads:
Angela Davis '65 Prize for Commitment to Disciplinary Service and Activism in AAAS
Professor Chad Williams appears on screen in formal dress. Behind him is a red wall with several sculptures and framed artwork on it.
Chad Williams:
In a 1977 interview, Angela Davis said, I quote, "I think the importance of doing activist work is precisely because it allows you to give back and to consider yourself not as a single individual who may have achieved whatever, but to be part of an on-going historical movement." Angela Davis graduated from Brandeis in 1965. She is of course one of the most iconic figures in American history. But make no mistake, Angela Davis is Black Studies. Angela Davis is AAAS. Angela Davis is Brandeis. Today we recognize a student who has represented what Angela Davis has and continues to stand for and who made significant contributions through their service and activism to the AAAS department. It is my pleasure to present the 2020 Angela Davis '65 Prize for Commitment to Disciplinary Service and Activism in African and African-American Studies to Victoria Richardson.
Slide:
A dark blue slide with white text. On the left there is the same photograph of Angela Davis that was shown before. On the right there is a photograph of Victoria Richardson speaking into a megaphone and holding a cell phone. The text on the slide reads:
Angela Davis '65 Prize for Commitment to Disciplinary Service and Activism in AAAS
Victoria Richardson
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A dark blue slide with white text. The text on the slide reads:
Senior Honor Thesis Writers
Dannie Brice
"Performing Sovereignty and Staging Creolization in Theaters of Revolt: Marie Vieux Chauvet and the Grammars of Historical Drama in Dance On the Volcano"
Highest Honors
Jake Haveles
"Solidarity and Rupture in the Black International: Black Communists and Global Crossings, 1925-1949"
Highest Honors
Lucia Pugh-Sellers
"Seeing Humans, Making Commodities: Slave Ship Rebellions on Film"
Highest Honors
Victoria Richardson
"For Black Girls Too Fast Too Furious: Black Girlhood, School Discipline and the Carceral Continuum"
High Honors
Professor Chad Williams appears on screen in formal dress. Behind him is a red wall with several sculptures and framed artwork on it.
Chad Williams:
The following four students participated in the AAAS Senior Honors Thesis program. Over the course of the academic year, they embarked on an incredibly challenging and ambitious journey to write their senior thesis. Under the supervision of AAAS faculty, and under incredibly challenging circumstances this semester, they completed their theses and produced brilliant projects. Dannie, Jake, Lucy, Toria, congratulations on your accomplishment.
We have such an incredible group of graduating seniors this year. AAAS is unique in that our minors have always been a vital part of our department and intellectual community. So I'm happy to recognize the phenomenal group of individuals graduating with a minor in AAAS this year. Johnson Agyapong, Carmela Belizaire, Tamar Harrison, Milena Jeffers, Madison Matthews, Jordan Mudd, Sarah Nzisabira, Adam Pann, Rebecca Schwartz, Sisay Shannon-Tamrat, and Kavita Sundaram, congratulations.
Slide:
A dark blue slide with white text. There are eight photographs of students in two rows. The top row, from left to right is: [student names]. The bottom row from left to right is: [student names]. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Johnson Agyapong
Carmela Belizaire
Tamar Harrison
Milena Jeffers
Madison Matthews
Jordon Mudd
Sarah Nzisabira
Adam Pann
Rebecca Schwartz
Sisay Shannon-Tamrat
Kavita Sundaram
Professor Chad Williams appears on screen in formal dress. Behind him is a red wall with several sculptures and framed artwork on it.
Chad Williams:
And now, the stars of the hour. So wherever you are, please stand up, get ready to scream, shout, clap, do whatever you need to do, as I announce the graduating majors of the AAAS class of 2020.
Slide:
Dark blue slide with white text. On the left there is a photograph of Dannie Brice in front of a white wall with artwork hung on it. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Dannie Brice
Bachelor of Arts
AAAS, History & WGSS
Cum Laude
with highest of honors in AAAS
"Enriching, bountiful, rigorous, life-changing."
Chad Williams:
Dannie Brice, BA with majors in AAAS, History, and Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies, and a minor in English. Graduating cum laude with highest honors in AAAS. Dannie is the recipient of the Dr. Jacques and Dianna Cohen Endowed Award in Interdisciplinary Studies.
Slide:
Dark blue slide with white text. On the left there is a photograph of Elizabeth Dabanka in front of a field and some trees. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Elizabeth Dabanka
Bachelor of Arts
AAAS, Politics & IGS
Magna Cum Laude
"An unexpected yet profound learning experience that radically changed my perception of the world and gave me a lens from which to view myself and the larger world."
Chad Williams:
Elizabeth Dabanka, BA with majors in AAAS, Politics, and International Global Studies. Graduating magna cum laude.
Slide:
Dark blue slide with white text. On the left there is a photograph of Alexus Faunteroy in regalia. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Alexus Faunteroy
Bachelor of Arts
AAAS & Economics
"It may not have been the major I originally sought out when I attended Brandeis, but it was what I needed. Being a AAAS major enriched my experience at Brandeis in so many ways — academically, socially, professionally, etc."
Chad Williams:
Alexus Faunteroy, BA with majors in AAAS and Economics, and a minor in Business.
Slide:
Dark blue slide with white text. On the left there is a photograph of Hawa Ibrahim in front of a brick wall. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Hawa Ibrahim
Bachelor of Arts
AAAS & English
"…many nights of intellectual development."
Chad Williams:
Hawa Ibrahim, BA with majors in AAAS and English.
Slide:
Dark blue slide with white text. On the left there is a photograph of Imani Islam sitting outside. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Imani Islam
Bachelor of Arts
AAAS and Sociology
"My experience as a AAAS major was my village in finding confidence in myself within and outside Brandeis."
Chad Williams:
Imani Islam, BA with majors in AAAS and Sociology.
Slide:
Dark blue slide with white text. On the left there is a photograph of Lucia Pugh-Sellers. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Lucia Pugh-Sellers
Bachelor of Arts
AAAS, History & FTIM
Summa Cum Laude
with highest of honors in
AAAS & History
"The AAAS department has absolutely incredible professors and classes. The learning I did here feels incomparable, so important to the person I am. I am deeply grateful."
Chad Williams:
Lucia Pugh-Sellers, BA with majors in AAAS, History, and Film, Television, and Interactive Media. Graduating summa cum laude with highest honors in AAAS and History. Lucy is the recipient of the Margaret Shaiman Prize in Film Production and the Eugene C. Black Prize for Excellence in History.
Slide:
Dark blue slide with white text. On the left there is a photograph of Makayla Richards in front of a white background. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Makayla Richards
Bachelor of Arts
Black Women's Studies
Cum Laude
with highest of honors in
Black Women's Studies
"AAAS has been a consistent source of intellectual, spiritual and emotional enrichment during the last four years. I have definitely garnered friendships and knowledge that will last a lifetime."
Chad Williams:
Makayla Richards, BA with an independent major in Black Women's Studies and a minor in Social Justice and Social Policy. Graduating cum laude with highest honors in Black Women's Studies. Makayla is the recipient of the Ari Hahn and Maurice and Faye Karpf Peace Prizes, the Rachel Oliveri Family Prize in Women's Studies, and the W.E.B. Du Bois Award for Academic Excellence in AAAS.
Slide:
Dark blue slide with white text. On the left there is a photograph of Victoria Richardson holding a megaphone. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Victoria Richardson
Bachelor of Arts
AAAS & WGSS
Cum Laude
with high honors in
AAAS & WGSS
"When I came to Brandeis from the Bronx culture shock was so real, I felt so out of place, but AAAS is where I found community. AAAS is where I learned the most, felt the most loved, cried the most, worked the hardest, felt more centered, most important, most seen. The journey was hard, at times I grew pessimistic, at times it was emotionally tasking, but I would do it all over again if I had the chance. This journey has been so important to the development of who I am today and who I am becoming."
Chad Williams:
Victoria Richardson, BA with majors in AAAS and Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies. Graduating cum laude with high honors in AAAS and Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies. Victoria is the recipient of the Angela Davis '65 Prize for Commitment to Disciplinary Service and Activism in AAAS. She was also selected as the class of 2020 Undergraduate Commencement speaker, the third consecutive AAAS major to receive this honor.
Slide:
Dark blue slide with white text. On the left there is a photograph of Rene Vernon-Asobo in front of a flowering bush. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Rene Vernon-Asobo
Bachelor of Arts
AAAS
"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Chad Williams:
Rene Vernon-Asobo, BA with a major in AAAS.
Slide:
Dark blue slide with white text. On the left there is a photograph of Jehman Williams in front of a flowering bush. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Jehman Williams
Bachelor of Arts
AAAS
Magna Cum Laude
with highest of honors in AAAS
"Being a AAAS major is one of the best choices I have ever made. I felt so supported and embraced by my professors. I felt the care that came from my professors, many of whom who were people of color, and who wished to see their students succeed. I felt the excitement of taking classes on subjects that I would never have imagined could find their way into academia. And, on top of it all, I felt the immense sense of gratitude to have gotten to learn from some of the brightest minds within their respective fields!"
Chad Williams:
Jehman Williams, BA with a major in AAAS and a minor in Hispanic Studies. Graduating magna cum laude with highest honors in AAAS. Jehman is the recipient of the W.E.B. Du Bois Award for Academic Excellence in AAAS.
Slide:
A dark blue slide with white text. the text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University | Class of 2020
Department of African and African American Studies
Congratulations!!!!
You did it!!!!
Chad Williams:
Congratulations to all of our graduates.
Professor Chad Williams appears on screen in formal dress. Behind him is a red wall with several sculptures and framed artwork on it.
Chad Williams:
Commencement is a time of reflection. It is certainly about recognizing and celebrating the past. Commencement is also a time to think about the future. It is about embracing that first step into a new world, a world in which, as a graduate of Brandeis University, you will have great privilege, but also carry great responsibility.
This responsibility is both individual and collective. As individuals, we certainly want you to be successful and apply what you have learned in AAAS towards your future careers. And we have no doubt that you will. This is the first step, granted a very big one, considering the times that we are living in, but just the first step in what should be a lifelong journey of learning, exploration, and personal growth. At the same time, your sense of responsibility must not be only about yourself. That is not what getting a college degree is all about. That is not what Brandeis is about. And that is certainly not what AAAS is about.
Hopefully, we have instilled in you the intellectual as well as moral tools to take what you have learned and experienced the past four years to make the country and world we live in a better place, one in which those rendered invisible are seen, whose lives are respected, valued, and given the same opportunities that you have been able to take advantage of during your time at Brandeis. This is what we expect of you. This is what you have been prepared for. We need you now more than ever.
On behalf of the entire AAAS department, I want to thank you for giving us the privilege these past years of helping in ways however small or large to set the path of your life journey. I know that, whatever you decide to do, you are going to excel.
For those of you hanging out with us on Zoom chats, I look forward to seeing you in a little bit. For everyone else, thank you for spending time with us this afternoon to celebrate our outstanding graduates. Congratulations, continue to be well.
Slide:
A dark blue slide headed by the Brandeis Official Seal. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University
Department of African and African American Studies
Celebrating the Class of 2020