In the wake of the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and many others, activists and scholars in the United States have taken to the streets, the workplace, and classrooms to decry anti-Black racism and call attention to the ongoing devaluation of Black lives in the U.S. and globally. The wave of uprisings that have swept the nation and globe represent part of a long struggle of anti-racist organizing—one that can be traced back hundreds of years.
Anti-Black Racism (PITT 0210) is a multidisciplinary course that seeks to provide a broad overview of this rich and dynamic history. Built around the expertise of Pitt faculty and Pittsburgh area activists, this course will introduce students to the established tradition of scholarship focused on the Black experience and Black cultural expression. It also seeks to examine the development, spread, and articulations of anti-Black racism in the United States and around the world.
The course will grapple with three key areas of inquiry: the roots, ideology, and resistance to anti-Black racism.