Follow Up on Supporting African-American Studies at CCSF

"Black Studies Matter" was suggested as our group's name as we continue to move forward in an effort to get a Full-Time instructor for the program.  Our meeting on Wednesday, February 19, was held in MUB 39 the day after the AFT 2121 passed a resolution to support the African-American Studies Program and not to endorse any trustee who has not supported it.    All other ethnic studies programs have a full-time teacher.

Here you see Patricia Nunley making a point as Nancy Vargas, Don Rico Gebera listen and Kyle Hill takes notes.

Others attending the meeting were Wynd Kaufmyn, who left earlier (not plictured), Kathe Burick,  Leslie Simon, Ramona Coates, Sophia Montano,  Tessa Brown, and Tina Martin.

Leslie mentioned that Glen Nance of the African-American Studies Program hired here in 1975.  

Patricia Nunley surprised me by saying the opposite of what I usually hear in identity politics--that people of a particular group don't want outsides.  She said tshe believed in brown people standing up for black--going to the forefront--and black people going to the forefront to stand up for brown people.  If I understood her correctly, she said that nonpwhite people in the Union haven't felt supported.  

The fear is that the powers-that-be are tyring to consolidate departments and programs, but this isn't likely to work because the needs are different.  

The big concern right now is that the decision not to provide a full-time instructor for AFAM studies was based on false information.  First, they thought that someone on leave would be coming back, but she won't be in AFAM Studies.  She'll be in History.  Now they're saying that the full-time teacher has to teach five courses, but there aren't 4 courses in African-American Studies, which once had 8 courses, reduced to 6, reduced to 4.    

During our meeting, Leslie got in touch with Tariq Farrar, the instructor who hasn't been replaces, and he verified that he was not teaching 5 courses in the African-American Studies Program.    It's not mandatory that the full-time instructor do that.

The next step is for Edgar Torres, the Chair of Latin American Studies and now the interim chair of  the African-American Studies Program to speak to the FPAC, the Faculty Position Allocation Committee.    We need to know when it's meting and who's on it.