History is a weapon. Studied and interpreted wisely, it can help defend, inspire, protect, and unify. If history is ignored, forgotten, or misconstrued, it can be part of the miseducation of a people that will have a them going to the back door even without being told. Of all our studies history is so very important not only because it is a vital means to the cognition of and solution to many of the problems that beset us, but because it is the heart and soul of our liberation itself.
From "Lecture at El Mina,"
Ghana, 2004.
Amilcar Shabazz, Professor W. E. B. Du Bois Department
of Afro-American Studies 330 New Africa House
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA 01003-9289 USA
Phone: 413.545.2751
Fax: 413.545.0628
Service within the Five College Consortium: Member, Faculty Advisory Council (2011); Member, Center for Crossroads in the Study of the Americas Executive Committee (2008-2009); Five College African Studies Council and program faculty member.
Member, Chancellor's Diversity Advisory Committee; Member, Search Committee for Endowed Chair in the Study of Nonviolent Direct Action and Civil Resistance, and for Assistant Provost for Academic Personnel (both in 2012 and appointed by Provost James Staros); Member, General Education Task Force, 2007-2009 (appointed by Provost Charlena Seymour); Member, Davis Integrative Experience Task Force and IE Steering Committee. Chair, Dean’s Review Committee for CHFA Dean, 2009 (appointed by Provost James Staros); Member, College of Humanities & Fine Arts Director of Chair Search for Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies , 2011, and External Relations Search Committee, 2009. Member, Budget Planning Task Force, 2009-2011.
Referee for McGraw-Hill, Heinemann, University of North Carolina Press, Texas A&M U. P., Texas Tech U. P., University of Texas Press, SUNY Press, University of North Texas Press, The Journal of American History, History of Education Quarterly, Journal of Southern History, Journal of African American History, Social Identities, Sexuality & Culture, African Identities, and Behavioral Disorders.
Previous service in Alabama: Member, Alabama’s National Register of Historic Places Review Board District 7 Representative; Board Member & Founding Research Director, Safe House Historic Museum (Greensboro); Black Heritage Council of the Alabama Historical Commission; Challenge 21 of Tuscaloosa, AL, Board of Directors; Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church Community Outreach Ministryof Tuscaloosa, AL; Slavery & Civil War Museum Commissioner of Selma, AL; Past Board Chair, Coalition of Alabamians Reforming Education; Against All Odds Advisory Board Member.
Previous service in Texas: Mayoral Appointee, Houston Archaeological & Historical Commission; Voulunteer Consultant, The African American Library at the Gregory School; Advisory Board Member, Rutherford B. H. Yates Museum; Founder/President, National Association for African American Heritage Preservation of Houston; Life Member, Texas African American Heritage Organization; Allen Parkway Village (Public Housing) Advisory Board Member.
Invited speaker, “Reading Frederick Douglass”—a Massachusetts Humanities Foundation event at Old First Church, Springfield, MA, June 29, 2011.
Invited keynote presenter, “African American Studies: Perceptions, Realities, Possibilities” the University of Mississippi African American Studies Program, 40th Anniversary Conference, April 18, 2011.
Invited lecturer, “Reading W.E.B. Du Bois in the Context of the Present Economic Crisis”–for Commonwealth Honors College Faculty Lecture Series, UMass.February 23, 2011.
Invited lecturer, “Making African American History: From W.E.B. Du Bois to Barack Obama,” St. Louis Community College at Forest Park, Saint Louis, MO, October 28, 2008.
Invited guest lecturer, “From Slavery to Freedom: Africans in the Americas,” Black History Program, Alabama School of Mathematics & Science; Mobile, Alabama, February 25, 2006.
Presenter, “William A. Owens Looking for Home in Walking on Borrowed Land,” Let’s Talk About It Oklahoma reading and discussion program. Stillwater, OK, October 25, 2006.
Moderator, “Racism Here & Now: Stillwater Voices Speak Out” panel, Progressive Interfaith Coalition & OSU Sociology Graduate Students; Stillwater, OK, April 26, 2006.
Moderator, panel discussion on the civil rights movement, “Black History Month Special Event: Broken Obelisk Rededication” Co-organized by The Rothko Chapel and The Menil Collection; Houston, TX, February 26, 2006. See www.rothkochapel.org/brokenobeliskreturn.htm
Keynote address, 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Desegregation of Texas Western College, University of Texas at El Paso, November 3, 2005.
Introduced/organized, Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Lecture by Christian Davenport of the University of Maryland Political Science department on his work documenting and analyzing genocide in Rwanda. Davenport also gave numerous class lectures as the 2004 John Henrik Clark Distinguished Visiting Scholar, October 28, 2004. See MLK Lecture Series website.
Masters of Ceremony, 3rd anniversary celebration of the Safehouse Museum, October 23, 2004.
Co-organized, West Tuscaloosa Cluster Schools Parent Partnership Initiative Education Conference featuring noted author Jawanza Kunjufu, Shelton State Community of College Fredd Campus, September 25, 2004. AAST minor Angela Scott was a speaker in this conference.
“A Voteless People is a Hopeless People,” Voter Empowerment Forum of the Stillman College Epsilon Nu Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., September 23, 2004.
Lecture on Brown v. Board of Eduacation, University of Houston-Downtown Cultural Enrichment Center, March 31, 2004.
“Educational Equality and the Heart of the Freedom Struggle in Texas from Juneteenth to LBJ.” Sam Houston State University NAACP & History Department Lecture, March 30, 2004.
Black History Month lecture, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, February 6, 2004.
“Having Our Say: The NAACP’s Legacy in Advocacy, Education and Agitation.” Conecuh County Branch NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet, November 15, 2003.
“Study!” Address to the Tuscaloosa County Hillcrest Middle School African American Culture Club Induction Ceremony, November 13, 2003.
“Lessons and Comparisons of Landmark Legal Cases of Racial and Sexual Others in the U.S.” The University of Alabama Queer-Straight Alliance, September 11, 2003.
“From Dr. King to Sambo Mockbee: Lessons in the Struggle to Build Freedom & Dignity in the Alabama Black Belt.” Auburn University Rural Studio Colloquium, New Bern; August 27, 2003.
“The Meaning of Juneteenth.” Safehouse Historic Museum’s Freedom Festival, Greensboro, AL; June 28, 2003.
University of Alabama Superintendent’s Academy presentation, Birmingham; March 13, 2003.
“Law Written in Blood: Trying to Vote in Hale County in the 1960s.” Lecture to the ArchiTreats Program of the Alabama Department of Archives and History (Montgomery), March 21, 2002.
“From Segregation to Hopwood: American Democracy through the Looking Glass of Texas Higher Education.” The Southwest Texas State University Department of History's James Taylor Lecture Series, February 21, 2002.
“Kwanzaa: Past, Present & Future.” Address to Kiwanis International of Tuscaloosa, December 10, 2001.
“Cuban Culture—Insights.” Address to the University of Alabama International Advisory Board Meeting, November 16, 2001.
“Human Rights for All or No Rights at All.” Keynote address to the 2001 Conference of the University of Alabama Model United, October 12, 2001.
Introduction of African American Studies Teach-In on the World Conference on Racism. Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance (Durban, South Africa), October 11, 2001.
Session chair, “Old Schools in a New Century: The African American Legacy.” The Alabama Historical Commission Annual Preservation Conference, September. 29, 2001.
“African Americans and the Struggle for Access and Equity in Higher Education.” Law and Economics Class (in English), Chiba University, Chiba, Japan; July 19, 2001.
“Testing Time: Accountability and the Standards Movement in the Coming Bush Age.” Coalition of Alabamians Rebuilding Education, Selma, AL; December 16, 2000.
Keynote Speaker at “Annual Pre-Kwanzaa Celebration.” The Metropolitan Optimist Club and The Girls and Boys Support Group of Central High School, Tuscaloosa; December 10, 2000.
Introduction of Rev. James Lawson. Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Lecturer and Performing Artist Series, Tuscaloosa; November 29, 2000.
“Career Awareness Day Motivational Keynote Speaker.” Alumnae Chapter Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Tuscaloosa; November 18, 2000.
“Remarks to the 2000 Spring Initiation Ceremony.” Alpha Lambda Delta National Scholastic Honor Society at The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; April 16, 2000.
Moderator. Black Scholar’s Day at The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; April 12, 2000.
Guest Speaker at “The Love Amongst Our People Forum.” Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Tuscaloosa; April 10, 2000.
“The Death Penalty is Dead Wrong.” Muhammad Mosque #69 Prison Reform Ministry and the University of Alabama-Birmingham Black Student Union, Birmingham; March 23, 2000.
Address to the March Back to the Schoolhouse Door. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Tuscaloosa; February 23, 2000.
Keynote Address. Eutaw High School Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Commemoration Assembly Program, Eutaw, Alabama; January 14, 2000.
“To Test or not to Test? Help and Harm in the Practice of Standardized Testing.” The UA College of Education Research Action Committee and the Tuscaloosa Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa, Tuscaloosa; October 29, 1999.
“African American Student Activism in Historical Perspective.” The National Pan-Hellenic Council of The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; October 13, 1999.
“The Global Implications of The Prison Industrial Complex.” The 180 Student Movement for Democracy in Education, Tuscaloosa; October 5, 1999.
“Cultural Diversity at UA Today.” The University of Alabama Office of Residential Life, Tuscaloosa; September 21, 1999.
“The Struggle for Access and Equity in Higher Education.” University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Economics Department Minority Undergraduate Research Alliance Program; July 23-25, 1999.
“Racism and Religion.” Stillman College’s Issues & Answers Forum, Tuscaloosa; February 25, 1999.
Black History Month Keynote Lecture. The Tuscaloosa Veterans Administration Medical Center; February 9, 1999.
“The House of Civil Rights in the U.S. and the NAACP.” University of Alabama Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Tuscaloosa; January 27, 1999.
“Ujima: Collective Work & Responsibility.” The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute’s Annual Kwanzaa Observance; December 28, 1998.
“Juneteenth: Origins and Significance.” The Texas Emancipation Juneteenth Historical Commission’s History Symposium at the State Capitol in Austin, TX, December 11, 1998.
Affirmative Action Town Hall Meeting: Reparations vs. Reverse Discrimination. University of Alabama Black Law Students Association Panel Discussion, Tuscaloosa; February 26, 1998
“Engaging Dr. Cornel West’s Restoring Hope/Conversations on the Future of Black America.” The President’s Colloquium Series and Stillman College Annual African American Heritage Book Review, Tuscaloosa; February 19, 1998.
“African Americans in Business: The Path towards Empowerment,” Parkview Alternative Learning Center Black History Month 1998 Program Address, Tuscaloosa; February 13, 1998.
“Remembering Our Past, Building Bridges to the Future: The Role and Direction of African American Studies.” University of Alabama Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Black History Month 1998 Program Address, Tuscaloosa; February 8, 1998.
“Black Love Coming for Real in the 21st Century: Strategies for Moving Beyond O.J. and Oprah, Erykah and Tyrone.” National Society of Black Engineers 1998 Regional Conference Workshop Presentation, Tuscaloosa; January 31, 1998.
“Talk Back Thoughts on David Rabe’s Streamers.” Alabama State University Theatre Audience Discussion, Montgomery; January 30, 1998.
“International Dimensions of the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” Stafford Global Studies Center Address to Fourth Grade Classes, Tuscaloosa; January 15, 1998.
“Great Conversations: The Era of Slavery.” University of Alabama/Stillman College Program Moderator and Organizer, Tuscaloosa; November 4, 1997.
“Black Love: Where is it and Where is it headed?” University of Alabama 21st Century Leadership Alliance Discussion Panelist, Tuscaloosa; October 21, 1997.
“The NAACP and American Higher Education.” University of Alabama Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Tuscaloosa; October 8, 1997.
“American Higher Education: Retrospect and Prospect.” Benjamin Banneker Honors College Banquet and Pinning Ceremony Keynote Address, Prairie View, TX; April 30, 1997.
“We Ain’t All Multiculturalists Now.” University of Houston Council of Ethnic Organizations Awards Banquet Keynote Address, Houston, TX; April 27, 1997.
“Trying to Become White in Texas: A History of the Struggle for Integration.” Henry Cobb Lectures, Southern University History Department, Baton Rouge, LA; April 22, 1997.
“From Myth to History or How I Found Out Why Black Folks Were Never on The Wild, Wild, West.” Latina Coalition and MEChA, Houston, TX; April 15, 1997.
“From Charles Rhinehart to Marguerite Ross Barnett: The Struggle for Access and Equity at the University of Houston.” Society of History Students @ UH, Houston, TX; April 10, 1997.
“Carter Wesley, Thurgood Marshall, and Local-National Conflicts in the Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1950.” University of Houston Black History Workshop; March 21, 1997.
“Religion, Spirituality, and the Black Family.” Counseling Workshop-IntraCare Hospital, Houston, TX; March 7, 1997.
“Becoming and Staying Free in Houston, Texas: The Role of the Word.” Museum of Printing History, Houston, TX; February 13, 1997.
“The Civil Rights Movement Texas-Style.” Prairie View A&M University; February 5, 1997.
“The Pillars of Freedom: Constructing Community after Juneteenth.” University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures, San Antonio, Texas; January 26, 1997.
“From Plessy to Hopwood: A Hundred Years of White Supremacy and Unleveled Playing Fields in Texas Higher Education.” Prairie View A&M University; November 20, 1996.
“Reconstruction and Reparations in Black and White.” Bambara African Imports and the House of Songhay Commission for Positive Education, Baton Rouge, LA; October 25, 1996.
“The State of Human Welfare and the Welfare State.” Symposium organizer and chair, University of Houston; October 24, 1996.
“Black Freedom Struggle in Kendleton from Juneteenth to Fight Against the White Democratic Primary.” Kendleton, TX; June 22, 1996.
“They Carry It On Straight Ahead: The Hidden Legacy of Black/New Afrikan Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War in the U.S.” African American Studies Minors Association, University of Houston; March 22, 1996.
“The Meaning of History.” Pan-Afrikan People for Progressive Action and Council of Ethnic Organizations, University of Houston; February 22, 1996.
“Does this Colored Man Want Social Equality with Whites?” University Desegregation in Texas Before Brown. Nia Dorian Becnel Seminar, University of Houston; October 4, 1995.
“From the Nile Valley and Aztec Civilizations to the Present: African and Mexican Intellectual and Creative Traditions.” Bernard Harris Science Camp, Houston, TX; July 10-21, 1995.
“The How’s and Why’s of Going to Graduate School.” (Presenter and Panel Coordinator), Great Plains Honors Council, College Station, TX; April 28, 1994.
“Islam Matters: Social Crisis and Religious Change in the U.S.” and “The Black Muslims: Cultural Persistence in the Belly of the Beast.” Interdisciplinary Humanities 1994 Spring Symposium, University of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette, LA; April 14, 1994.
“Racism and Higher Education.” Sam Houston State University’s Office of Multicultural and International Student Services, Huntsville, TX; February 28, 1994.
“Blacks and the U.S. Criminal Justice System.” Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, University of Houston; February 21, 1994.
“The Origin of Black History Month.” Jack Yates High School, Houston, TX; Feb. 1, 1994.
“Honors Cooperation.” National Collegiate Honors Council, St. Louis, MO; October 30, 1993.
“Advanced Freshmen Honors Education.” National Association of African American Honors Program, Savannah, GA; October 9, 1993.
“The Impact of Schools on Black Community Building since Reconstruction.” Texas African American Heritage Organization Historic Preservation, Austin, TX; July 16, 1993.
“Manufactured Consent, Noam Chomsky, and the Media: A Comment.” The Rothko Chapel and Rice Media Center, Rice University, Houston, TX; June 13, 1993.
“The Integration of Texas Higher Education.” Race and Ethnic Studies Institute, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; March 11, 1993.
“Malcolm X: U-N-I-T-Y.” Black Student Union Black History Month Symposium, University of Houston; February 22, 1993.
“Malcolm X Panel Discussion.” University of Houston-Downtown; February 18, 1993.
“During the Sixties Were Black Texans Apathetic?” African American History in Texas Conference of the Dallas Museum of African-American Life and Culture, February 13, 1993.
“Watching God in Beaumont, Texas: Seeing Blacks as Historical Actors.” Beaumont History Conference; January 16, 1993.
“The NAACP in Southeast Texas.” African American History in Texas Conference of the Dallas Museum of African-American Life and Culture, February 15, 1992.
“Malcolm X-International Hero.” Black Student Union, University of Houston; Feb. 21, 1992.
“El Hajj Malik El Shabazz.” Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Lamar University; February 19, 1991.
“Education in Southeast Texas.” Tyrrell Historical Library, Beaumont, TX; February 16, 1991.
“African Cultural Perspectives and Family Interventions.” Association of Black Social Workers of Southeast Texas, Beaumont, TX; February 1, 1991.
Pictures tell a story all their own:
Dancing in Kumasi
Dancing in Segou, Mali
With fetish priest and villagers in Ghanaian countryside
With Senator Hank Sanders, Hon. Faya Toure, Hon. Adama Samassekou, and Dr. Asa G. Hilliard III - Nana Baffour Amankwatia, II, in the desert near Timbuktu
With the Honorable Faya Toure, noted Human Rights Attorney & Cultural Worker at the Women in Politics Conference I organized at the University of Alabama
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With Senator Hank Sanders, Hon. Faya Toure, Hon. Adama Samassekou, and Dr. Asa G. Hilliard III - Nana Baffour Amankwatia, II, in the desert near Timbuktu 