Africana Studies Symposium

A recording of Africana Studies Department's Annual Symposium

Africana Studies Inaugural Symposium 2024

Visiting Scholar: Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr., James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of African American Studies at Princeton

Host and Moderator: Dr. Michael C. Mason, Inaugural Chair of Africana Studies at Berklee

April 12, 2024, at David Friend Recital Hall

Dr. Eddie Glaude addressed the Berklee community regarding his book Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own, which takes an exhaustive look at Black communities, the difficulties of race in the United States, and the challenges we face as a democracy. He authored this book during the COVID-19 pandemic and it coincided with the centennial birthday of author/social activist James Baldwin in 2024.

Watch a recording of the event below.

Africana Studies Symposium 2025

Visiting Scholar: Dr. Fredara Hadley

Host and Moderator: Dr. Michael C. Mason, Inaugural Chair of Africana Studies at Berklee

April 17, 2025, at David Friend Recital Hall

Fredara Mareva Hadley is an ethnomusicology professor in the Music History department, where she teaches courses on African American music and the field of ethnomusicology.

Dr. Hadley will address the Berklee community regarding her forthcoming book I'll Make Me a World, which centers on the musical contributions of historically Black colleges and universities and their impact on Black music and beyond. She is an alumna of two historically Black colleges: Florida A&M University and Clark-Atlanta University.