Washington College: A Top-Tier Maryland Liberal Arts College

Kana Takio (International Studies) and Sarah Devan (Human Development) both graduated with a minor in Black Studies on May 17, 2009.

Kana plans to pursue graduate studies in England at either the University of Sussex or East Anglia. While reflecting on her studies, Kana notes that the Black Studies minor has enabled her to learn a "multicultural perspective about race." She believes her coursework in Economic Development, Race and Philosophy, American Music and History will be "very helpful in preparing to study developments in less-developed countries, especially in Africa. I am very happy to have acquired immeasurable knowledge throughout the minor."

Sarah recalls that, "As a Human Development major, I became interested in pursuing a minor in Black Studies after seeing how well the program integrated with my plans to become an elementary school teacher. Throughout my tenure completing a Black Studies minor at Washington College, I've taken a variety of interdisciplinary courses, such as African American literature, African American History, Diversity and Inclusion, Social Inequalities, History of Jazz Music, and Ethnomusicology, and I am confident that these classes will prepare me well for teaching students of diverse ethnicities and races."

Sarah took advantage of the opportunity to enhance her studies with various co-curricular activities that enabled her to "take my interest in minority studies outside the traditional college lecture hall." In addition to researching the minority achievement gap in reading under the auspices of a Frederick Douglass Fellowship, she was awarded additional grants and completed a total of four minority research projects at Washington College. "With my minor in Black Studies and my independent research," Sarah explains, "I felt well-prepared to do my student teaching practicum in a Title One school with a high minority population. I became a Black Studies minor because I wanted to learn more about the diverse students I would be teaching and as I journey into my education career I know that this minor will serve me well."

Congratulations Kana and Sarah!

On Thursday, January 8, 2008, Dr. Knight spoke on the air about the significance of Michelle Obama becoming our first African American First Lady, and she contextualized the way success has been defined for black women in the United States. Click here to listen to a podcast of the program.

Dr. Carol Wilson has recently published her book, The Two Lives of Sally Miller: A Case of Mistaken Racial Identity in Antebellum New Orleans. For more information, click here to be redirected to the Rutgers University Press website.

The Black Studies Program is pleased to announce Sidra Carman, from Silver Spring, Maryland, is the first Washington College student to earn a minor in Black Studies. Sidra graduated with a B.A. in History on May, 20, 2007. She will be interning at the National Low Income Housing Coalition this summer and plans to pursue a career with the government or in the non-profit sector in the Washington, D.C. area. Sidra believes her Black Studies minor will serve her well, especially in the non-profit sector where she is particularly interested in minority issues. Completing a minor in Black Studies, "shows that I like diversity and that I am interested in a variety of issues," Sidra says. Congratulations, Sidra!