Africana Studies at Penn

06/03/2026

- 1993: Nigeria's presidential election turmoil hits the globals stage, Côte d’Ivoire's first president dies after 33 years of rule, "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)" revolutionizes the music industry, and "The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness" by Paul Gilroy revolutionizes postcolonial studies by rejecting strictly nationalist frameworks of culture. 🧐

These important moments affecting Black American History took place in 1993, what others would you spotlight?

06/02/2026

- 1992: Urban rebellions in aftermath of Rodney King, Carol Moseley Braun became the first Black woman ever elected to the United States Senate, Spike Lee’s "Malcolm X" premiers, "Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination" by Toni Morrison critiques American literary canon, and "Race Matters" by Cornel West offers a fierce critique of both conservative moralism and liberal technocracy. 📖 💻

These important moments in Black American History took place in 1992, what others would you spotlight?

06/01/2026

- 1991: Rodney King is brutalized, Attorney Anita Hill accuses Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of harassment, Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide ousted by coup, Boyz n the Hood released, "The Content of Our Character" by Shelby Steele creates controversy, and Magic Johnson breaks through stigmas around HIV and helps build awareness.🎗

These important moments in Black American History took place in 1991, what others would you spotlight?

06/01/2026

Africana studies Ph.D. student Hosaena Tilahun creates a short film on Germantown as part of a Penn filmmaking class sharing the stories of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. - read this from Penn Today

Penn Arts & Sciences

Graduate and undergraduate students in Alissa Jordan’s course partnered with community organizations to create five short films that touch on education, archiving, and grassroots organizing in Germantown, Northeast Philadelphia, and West Philadelphia.

05/31/2026

- 1990: Nelson Mandela is released from prison, August Wilson wins the Pulitzer Prize for The Piano Lesson, liberation theologian and populist priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide wins a landslide victory in Haiti's first free and fair democratic election since independence, Large numbers of African American servicemen and women deployed for Operation Desert Shield, "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" debuts on NBC, "The Alchemy of Race and Rights" by Patricia J. Williams is published, and "Black Feminist Thought" by Patricia Hill Collins is published.

These important moments in Black American History took place in 1990, what others would you spotlight?

05/30/2026

- 1989: Historic Black electoral victories reshape American politics, General Colin Powell became the first African American to hold the highest military position in the United States, the collapse of Eastern European communist governments profoundly affected Africa and the Caribbean by weakening Cold War alliances, the killing of Hawkins by a white mob in Bensonhurst, "Do the Right Thing" is released, and the film "Glory" helps reintroduce broader audiences to the history of Black military service and abolitionist struggle during the Civil War era. 🎖

These important moments in Black American History took place in 1989, what others would you spotlight?

05/29/2026

- 1988: Temple University launches the first doctoral program in African American Studies in the world; Jesse Jackson’s second presidential campaign; albums such as "Straight Outta Compton" transformed rap music into an aggressive critique of policing, urban neglect, and state violence; and Florence "Flo-Jo" Griffith Joyner dominates the Seoul Olympics.

These important moments in Black American History took place in 1988, what others would you spotlight?

05/29/2026

📸Our 2026 African Language & Culture Day was an incredible time of learning, storytelling, dancing, and appreciation. We are so thankful for Dr. Audrey N. Mbeje who spearheaded this event, our MC Socrates Okong’o , and the incredible Twi, Zulu, Swahili, Yoruba, and Malagasy language classes who participated and made this such a special night!

05/28/2026

- 1987: Aretha Franklin becomes first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Black activists have their eye on the First Intifada in Palestine, dictator “Baby Doc” Duvalier falls and Haiti experiences massive grassroots mobilization demanding rights and democracy, Public Enemy helps establish hip-hop as a major vehicle for Black political consciousness and social criticism, Toni Morrison's masterpiece Beloved bridges the gap between radical artistic creation and institutional validation, and the assassination of Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso deals devastating blow to Pan-African and revolutionary movements worldwide. 🇧🇫

These important moments in Black American History took place in 1987, what others would you spotlight?

05/27/2026

- 1986: Monumental voting rights victory in Thornburg v. Gingles, the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act, and Wole Soyinka wins the Nobel Prize in Literature.

These important moments in Black American History took place in 1986, what others would you spotlight?