Upcoming Events

Successful Job Application Workshop

Are you looking to take your job application to the next level? We will teach you how to make your resume and cover letter stand out, ace your interview, and showcase your skills and experience in the best way.

The Battle of Algiers

This is the first event as part of the series Race, Rebellion, and Global Solidarity. The Battle of Algiers is a 1966 Italian-Algerian war film co-written and directed by Gillo Pontecorvo. One of the most extraordinary films ever made, The Battle of Algiers is an emotionally devastating account of the anticolonial struggle of the Algerian people and a brutally candid exposé of the French colonial mindset. It was shot on location in a Roberto Rossellini-inspired newsreel style: in black and white with documentary-type editing to add to its sense of historical authenticity, with mostly non-professional actors who had lived through the real battle. There is no registration for this screening.

The Spook Who Sat by the Door

This is the second event as part of the series Race, Rebellion, and Global Solidarity. The classic 1973 film, based on the novel by writer Sam Greenlee, tells the fictional story of Dan Freeman, the first Black CIA officer. The film, directed by the actor and filmmaker Ivan Dixon, follows Freeman through his training in the Central Intelligence Agency, his subsequent assignment as a field officer, and his eventual role as the leader of a paramilitary group engaged in armed resistance against institutionalized racism. There is no registration for this screening.

Black Star, Crescent Moon

This is the third event as part of the series Race, Rebellion, and Global Solidarity. Black Star, Crescent Moon offers a new perspective on the political and cultural history of Black internationalism from the 1950s to the present. Author Sohail Daulatzai maps the rich, shared history between Black Muslims, Black radicals, and the Muslim Third World, placing them within a broader framework of American imperialism, Black identity, and the global nature of white oppression. Join us for a discussion with the author that will be facilitated by Dr. Michael Sawyer, Associate Professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh. His work focuses on the revolutionary potentiality of Black people, and takes a multi-disciplinary approach to exploring the works that authorize, accompany, sustain, and depicts Black Being.

Perpetual War and Permanent Unrest: A Reckoning

This is the fourth event as part of the series Race, Rebellion, and Global Solidarity. Amidst the ruins of a dying order desperately trying to maintain its grip, we are living in an era marked by massive economic disparities, the rise of authoritarianism and explicit white nationalism, Black freedom movements and the calls for abolition, the normalization of the “War on Terror” and the unfinished projects of decolonization, amongst other repressive forces and insurgent voices. How did we get here? And how do we chart a course forward? This talk will explore the artists, thinkers, and movement builders who we can think with as we seek to create a world that does not yet exist. This is a hybrid event.

Curriculum Development for K-16 Educators (Black Star, Crescent Moon)

As part of the bi-annual Consortium for Educational Resources on Islamic Studies (CERIS) Faculty Reader's Forum, this teacher workshop is for K-16 educators to follow on the February 21 CERIS book discussion on Black Star, Crescent Moon. The workshop will be led by Kate Daher, former Pittsburgh Public Social Studies Teacher and Curriculum Writer for the District. She has traveled extensively and written curriculum for African American history classes, social studies and more.

Teachers can get Act 48 credit. Register at the link provided.

Africa in the Classroom: Pedagogy, Community, Decolonization

The Center for African Studies will be hosting our yearly Spring Conference on "Africa in the Classroom: Pedagogy, Community, Decolonization" on May 5-6,2023. Stay tuned for more information!