University at Buffalo ‘Black Lives Matter’ course coming next spring
The full course title is “Black Lives Matter: Building Racial Justice and Solidarity.”
Students can take the course next semester.
The University at Buffalo is offering an anti-racist course next spring called “Black Lives Matter: Building Racial Justice and Solidarity.”
Interested students can study both “historic and contemporary” racism against Black people, specifically white supremacy.
Part of the coursework will include policy analysis for addressing structural racial oppression as well as developing personal growth towards becoming anti-racist.
“Students will also engage in self-reflection, develop self-awareness and participate in critical analysis of systems of privilege and oppression, as well develop personal strategies for becoming antiracist and facilitating change in communities and society,” the description says.
The professor for the class is Tonya Myles-Day, a Clinical Assistant Professor and Faculty Support Liaison for Racially Underrepresented Students.
Her research interests include “Mental health in the LGBTQIA+ community,” “anti-racist practices in higher education,” “racial trauma,” “substance abuse,” “generational poverty and trauma of the Black family,” and “decolonizing the social work profession.”
Other research interests include “addressing implicit and explicit racism experienced by BIPOC students at predominantly white institutions and how these experiences may affect the learning environment for students of color.”
“Lived experiences shape our worldview,” a quotation presumably from Myles-Day says in her bio. “When we can view the world through the lens of oppressed and marginalized groups of people, we become more inclusive and accepting of differences and embrace ways to honor diversity through cultural humility.”
Many colleges and universities offer anti-Black racism courses, and some even require students to take them.
The University of Connecticut, for example, requires students to take a one-credit course on “Anti-Black Racism” to graduate.
The University of Pittsburgh requires students to take a course called “Anti-Black Racism: History, Ideology, and Resistance.” As Campus Reform reported at the time, the course uses Critical Race Theory and Black Lives Matter talking points.
In 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill requiring students part of the California State University System to take an ethnic studies class before graduating.
Campus Reform contacted the University of Buffalo, the School of Social Work, and Tonya Myles-Day to ask what they hope students will gain from the course. Campus Reform also requested a syllabus or reading list for the course. This story will be updated accordingly.
