CSUCI Broome Library presents Black educators across the nation for “Black Scholars on Black Lives” virtual presentations

Imagine analyzing the horrors aboard the Spanish ship La Amistad which was used to transport enslaved Africans to Cuba in 1839, or touring the Underground Railroad Museum in Kentucky—without ever leaving your home or classroom.

That’s the revolutionary teaching technique used by Morehouse University Assistant Professor of History Ovell Hamilton, who uses virtual reality in his “Metaversity,” which has proven so successful, that other departments are now using virtual reality for other disciplines at Morehouse such as biology, nursing, sociology and journalism, to name a few.

Hamilton will detail his use of virtual reality to teach Black History on Tuesday, Feb. 21 from 9 to 10 a.m. with “The history of the African Diaspora in the Metaverse,” one of several online presentations in the “Black Scholars on Black Lives” lecture series, coordinated by CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI)’s John Spoor Broome Library.

The “Black Scholars on Black Lives” lecture series will be held periodically throughout the year, but there will be weekly lectures throughout the month of February in honor of Black History Month.

“We know Black scholars don’t get their works published as much as white scholars,” explained Library Head of Instruction, Engagement and Assessment Colleen Harris. “Their research methods are not as valued—especially because much of their research is community-based, which bears the consequence of not valuing Black communities. This was an effort to shine a spotlight on Black scholarship.”

Harris began putting together the online library lecture series during the pandemic as a means to keep students engaged while learning remotely. They were so popular, that she has continued to search for and arrange for Black scholars across the nation to speak to CSUCI students and the public.

“The lectures are free and open to the public, and because it’s virtual, we can invite Black Scholars from around the world to speak,” Harris said.

University of California Merced Associate Professor of Sociology Whitney Pirtle will present “I Didn’t Know What Anti-Blackness Was Until I Got Here: Exploring the Unmet Needs of Black Students at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI)s” from 4 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Many universities, including CSUCI, have received the federal designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution because of a number of factors including the percentage of Hispanic students and specific programs designed to support their success.

But how well do HSIs serve Black students? That’s the question Pirtle has explored with research she has conducted indicating that a significant number of Black students’ perceptions are that they feel underserved and experienced a sense of anti-Blackness on an institutional, organizational and interpersonal level.

And finally, on Thursday, March 2, from 4 to 5 p.m., University of California Santa Barbara Assistant Professor of Race and Higher Education Antar A. Tichavakunda will present “Black Joy and Why it Matters in Higher Education.”

Tichavakunda’s presentation will address the experiences Black students have at predominately white colleges and universities, and more broadly, take a look at the sociology of race and higher education.

“He’s going to be talking about how Black students build ‘worlds’ to protect and nurture themselves as they move through an environment that was never built for them and has been actively hostile toward them,” Harris said. “He will show how we can build a sense of community for our Black students.”

Five CSUCI students who attend the lecture will win a copy of Tichavakunda’s book “Black Campus Life: The Worlds Black Students Make at a Historically White Institution,” which is about the intersection of a limited number of college graduates in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, and the state of race relations in higher education.

The presentations are free and open to the public. Registration for each session is available online:

Feb. 15, Whitney Pirtle - "I Didn't Know What Anti-Blackness Was Until I Got Here": Exploring the Unmet Needs of Black Students at HSIs. Register at https://csuci.libcal.com/event/10161991

Feb. 21, Ovell Hamilton - "The History of the African Diaspora in the Metaverse" https://csuci.libcal.com/event/10162666

March 2, Antar Tichavakunda - "Black Joy and Why it Matters for Higher Education" https://csuci.libcal.com/event/10052724

Additional information is available at https://libguides.csuci.edu/events/black-scholars-series.