Black Studies @ South Suburban Community College

Hamilton, Jonathan

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/15199 Copy

Description

Title

Black Studies @ South Suburban Community College

Author(s)

Hamilton, Jonathan

Contributor(s)

Alkalimat, Abdul

Issue Date

2010

Keyword(s)

• Black studies
• Black studies - History
• South Suburban Community College (Illinois)
• African Americans
• Higher education

Abstract

"I began this archival research project on the Black/Urban Studies program at South Suburban Community College (SSCC hereafter) in the fall semester of 2009 in the course titled, Core Problems in African American Studies (Afro-SOO), taught by Dr. Abdul Alkalimat at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Before beginning the project, I read the book, ""From Black Power to Black Studies."" by Fabio Rojas, whom I had the luxury of having as a guest speaker in our class. I had the opportunity to ask questions and to gain further insight on how to conduct individual archival research project Using Rojas's book, to help guide my steps in navigating the archives and collecting the right information was invaluable. However, actually going through the process of conducting an archival research project, while making some mistakes along the way, the countless road trips, and developing relationships with those that were behind the scenes in the creation of the Black/Urban Studies program at SSCC was an experience that a sound book could not provide. I chose to conduct my archival research on South Suburban Community College's Black/Urban Studies program simply because I wanted to do something different than my colleagues. Most of them chose to do their projects on well-known four-year college/institution. I wanted to conduct my archival research project on a college/institution that was seemingly closer to the community. Often times, you rarely hear or see the struggles and progressiveness of community colleges and their impact on surrounding communities. Conducting my archival research on South Suburban Community College's Black/Urban Studies program allowed me to gain information about how an institution can fit a Black Studies program at an institution that focuses on job training. It also became apparent to me some of the strengths and weakness of a community college compared to a four-year college/institution's willingness and demand to provide ethnic programs/departments and cultural centers for it's students and community members. It is true that leaders are ordinary people who do extraordinary things that guide and inspire others to do the right thing; those that were apart of the creation of the Black/Urban Studies program at SSCC are no exception to this. It is evident from this archival research project that it only takes one person or a small group of people to start something that is righteous and justice for others, but it takes many to continue that legacy for the upcoming and future members of society. Those that helped in the process of creating and expanding the Black/Urban studies program at SSCC did a great deed that helped many people, but where is the continued effort to make sure that the Black/Urban Studies program lasted? I hope my efforts in conducting this archival research project will be a catalyst for the discussion to regain the Black/Urban Studies program and Culture Center at SSCC."

Publisher

Graduate School of Library and Information Science and the Department of African American Studies. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Series/Report Name or Number

Illinois Documentary History of Black Studies. Volume 1.

Type of Resource

• text
• video

Language

eng

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/15199

Has Version(s)

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/15171

Owning Collections