Faculty and Staff

Department Chair and Advisor

Maulana Karenga

Academic specialties/ Area of interest:

  • Black/Africana Studies theory and history
  • Africana (continental and diasporan) philosophy
  • Maatian ethics (Ancient Egyptian)
  • Ifa ethics (Ancient Yoruba)
  • African American intellectual history and social thought
  • Ethnic Studies
  • The socio-ethical thought of Malcolm X
  • Swahili language and literature

Publications

Books

  • Kawaida and Questions of Life and Struggle, 2008 (Best Book in Activist Scholarship 2009—The Diopian Institute Award for Excellence in Scholarship)
  • Maat, The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt: A Study in Classical African Ethics, 2006; 2004 (Best Book 2004—The Cheikh Anta Diop Award for Excellence in Scholarship)
  • Handbook of Black Studies, co-edited with Molefi Asante, 2005
  • Introduction to Black Studies, 3rd Edition, 2002
  • Odu Ifa: The Ethical Teachings, 1999
  • Kawaida: A Communitarian African Philosophy, 1997
  • The Million Man March / Day of Absence: A Commemorative Anthology, co-edited with Haki Madhubuti, 1996
  • Selections From the Husia: Sacred Wisdom of Ancient Egypt, 1984

Book Chapters

  • “Molefi Asante and the Afrocentric Initiative: Mapping the Terrain of His Intellectual Impact”, in Ama Mazama (ed.), Essays in Honor of an Intellectual Warrior: Molefi Kete Asante, Paris: Menaibuc, 2009, pp. 17-49
  • “The Nguzo Saba and the Black Family: Principles and Practices of Well-Being and Flourishing,” Maulana Karenga and Tiamoyo Karenga, co-authors, in Harriet Pipes McAdoo, (ed.), Black Families, 4th Ed, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2007, pp. 7-28.
  • “The Field, Function and Future of Africana Studies: Critical Reflections on Its Mission, Meaning and Methodology,” in Molefi Asante and Maulana Karenga, (eds.), Handbook of Black Studies, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2006, pp. 402-420
  • “Philosophy in the African Tradition of Resistance: Issues of Human Freedom and Human Flourishing”, in Louis R. Gordon and Jane Anna Gordon, (eds.), Not Only the Master’s Tools: African American Studies in Theory and Practice, Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers, 2006, pp. 243-271
  • “Nommo, Kawaida and Communicative Practice: Bringing Good into the World,” in Understanding African American Rhetoric: Classical Origins to Contemporary Innovations, (eds.) Ronald L. Jackson II and Elaine B. Richardson, New York: Routledge, 2003, pp. 3-22
  • “Black Studies: A Critical Reassessment,” Dispatches from the Ebony Tower: Intellectuals Confront the African American Experience, Manning Marable, (ed.), New York: Columbia University Press, 2000, pp. 162-170

Journal Articles

  • “Names and Notions of Black Studies: Issues of Roots, Range and Relevance”, Journal of Black Studies, 40, 1 (2009), 41-64
  • “Maatian Discourse and Human Rights: Ancient Egyptian Textual Sources”, Africalogical Perspectives, 5, 1 (2008), 107-124
  • “The Moral Anthropology of Marcus Garvey: In the Fullness of Ourselves”, Journal of Black Studies, 39, 2 (2008), 166-193
  • “DuBois and the Question of the Color Line: Race and Class in the Age of Globalization,” Socialism and Democracy, 17, 1 (Winter-Spring, 2003), 141-160
  • “The Pan-African Initiative in the Americas: Culture, Common Struggle and the Odu Ifa,” National Political Science Review, 9, (2003), 156-172

Education Information (degrees and Universities attended)

  • Ph.D. in Social Ethics (emphasis in classical African ethics of ancient Egypt ), University of Southern California, 1994
  • Ph.D. in Political Science (emphasis in theory and practice of nationalism), United States International University, San Diego, 1976
  • B.A. and M.A. in Political Science (specialization in African Studies), University of California at Los Angeles, 1963, 1964.

Courses

  • AFRS 110: Introduction to Africana Studies
  • AFRS 150: Critical Thinking in Africana Studies
  • AFRS 215: U.S. Diversity and the Ethnic Experience
  • AFRS 319: Ethnic Experience in the U.S.
  • AFRS 332: Civil Rights and the Law
  • AFRS 353I: Religions of African Peoples
  • AFRS 498I: Ancient Egyptian Ethical Thought
  • AFRS 499: Directed Studies

Professional and community affiliations

Professional Affiliations

  • National Council for Black Studies, Board Member
  • African Heritage Studies Association, Member
  • California Black Faculty and Staff Association, Member
  • California Faculty Association, Member
  • Journal of Black Studies, Editorial Board
  • Western Journal of Black Studies, Editorial Board
  • The Black Scholar, Editorial Board

Community Affiliations

  • Kawaida Institute of Pan- African Studies, Los Angeles, Executive Director
  • African American Cultural Center (Us), Los Angeles, Executive Director
  • The Organization Us, National Chairman
  • National Association of Kawaida Organizations (NAKO), National Chairman
  • Knowledge Transfer Summit, Los Angeles, Member
  • Kwanzaa Ujima Collective, Chair
  • TransAfrica Forum, Member

Professional Awards (selected listing)

  • The Cheikh Anta Diop Award for Excellence in Scholarship, The Ankh Scientific Institute, The Annual Cheikh Anta Diop International Conference
  • C.L.R. James Award for Outstanding Publication of Scholarly Works that Advance the Discipline of Africana and Black Studies, National Council for Black Studies
  • The Diopian Institute Award for Excellence in Scholarship, The Diopian Institute for Scholarly Advancement, The Annual Cheikh Anta Diop International Conference
  • National Leadership Award for Outstanding Scholarly Achievements in Black Studies, National Council for Black Studies
  • President’s Award for Scholarship and Service in the Development of Black Studies, African Heritage Studies Association
  • Paul Robeson-Zora Neale Hurston Award for Scholarly Work Significantly Contributive to the Understanding, Development and Appreciation of African World Culture, National Council for Black Studies
  • Legacy Award for Milestone Contributions, Institute of the Black World 21st Century
  • Diop Exemplary Leadership Award, Department of African American Studies, Temple University
  • Peace Education Award for Distinguished Leadership, Scholarship and Education in Building Bridges Among Africans Throughout the World, Center for African Peace and Conflict Resolution, California State University—Sacramento
  • Richard Allen Living Legend Award, African Methodist Episcopal Church
  • Pioneer Award, Rainbow PUSH Coalition and Citizenship Education Fund

Special Distinction

  • Creator of the African American and pan-African holiday Kwanzaa, a celebration of family, community and culture, 1966
  • Author of the authoritative work on Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture, 1998

Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty and Full-Time Lecturers

Eva Bohler

Assistant Professor

Office: PSY-309
Phone: 562.985.8686
Email: eva.bohler@csulb.edu

Research Interests

  • African American Intellectual Histories
  • Africana Womanism
  • Black women in the Civil Rights Movement
  • Afrocentricity

Education

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Africology and African American Studies, Temple University, 2021.
  • Master of Arts, English, Arcadia University, 2012.
  • Master of Arts, African American Studies, Temple University, 2006.
  • Bachelor of Arts, Humanities-Prelaw, Michigan State University, 2004.

Teaching Areas

  • Racial and Ethnic Studies
  • Africana Womanism
  • African American women in the Civil Rights Movement

Selected Publications

  • "Howard Thurman's Jesus and the Disinherited as a Framework for Victory," Black Perspectives, April 13, 2023. https://www.aaihs.org/howard-thurmans-jesus-and-the-disinherited-as-a-framework-for-victory/
  • "The Lyrical Activism of Sister Souljah," Black Perspectives, August 17, 2023.  https://www.aaihs.org/the-lyrical-activism-of-sister-souljah/
  • "Fighting to be heard: Black women and the Suffrage Movement," ABC-CLIO.
  • "It's not just a man's world: Examining the contributions of Black women to the Civil Rights Movement," ABC-CLIO.
  • "Portraits of Resilience: Examining the Scholarship of Dr. Carey H. Latimore," Siyabonana: The Journal of Africana Studies Special Issue: Maa Kheru: Honoring our Ancestor's Contributions to Africana Studies (forthcoming).
  • "Branches from Igi Ose': The Geneological Impact of Afrocentricity," in Afrocentricity: Generations of Theory in Practice, Edited by Aaron X. Smith. New York, NY: Universal Write Publications (forthcoming).
  • "Reflections and New Directions: Examining the Impact of Africana Womanism," in New Perspectives in Africana Studies: Volume 1, Edited by Crystal Edwards and Abul Pitre. Lanham, MD: Hamilton Books (forthcoming).

M. Keith Claybrook

Associate Professor

Office: PSY-301
Phone: 562.985.5180
Email: m.keith.claybrook@csulb.edu

Professional Memberships

  • 2021 - Present - African American Intellectual History Society (Lifetime Member)
  • 2018 - Present - Association for the Study of African American Life and History
  • 2016 - Present - African Heritage Studies Association
  • 2007- Present - National Council for Black Studies

Professional and Community Leadership

  • Jan. 2025 - Present - African American Cultural Center of Long Beach, Board of Directors

Education

  • May 2016 - Cultural Studies, PhD, Claremont Graduate University
  • Aug. 2005 - General Education, MA, Loyola Marymount University
  • Dec. 2004 - History, BA, Loyola Marymount University
  • May 2002 - African American Studies, BA, Loyola Marymount University

Courses Taught

(*Indicates courses developed by Claybrook)

CSU, Long Beach

  • African American History to 1865
  • African American History from 1865-Present
  • Black Los Angeles*
  • Black Student Movement* (Forthcoming)
  • Critical Thinking in Africana Studies
  • Economic Development in the African American Community
  • History of Slavery
  • Introduction to Africana Studies
  • Introduction to Hip Hop
  • Introduction to Racial and Ethnic Studies
  • Politics of the African American Community
  • Racism and Sexism: An Analytic Approach (Capstone)
  • Research Methods in Africana Studies
  • Special Topics: Pathways to Men's Success

Book

  • Building the Basics: A Handbook for Pursuing Academic Excellence in Africana Studies, 2nd Edition, Kendall Hunt Press, 2021. (eBook and Print)

Journals

  • “Black Power and Black Identity in Los Angeles: Renaming and Redefining Black Racial Identity Nationally and Locally,” Siyabonana: Journal of Africana Studies, Vol. 1, No. 2, Summer 2023, pgs. 41- 79.
  • “Reframing the Black Student Movement: Conceptualizing Black Student Activism in the Black Activist-Intellectual Tradition, A Case Study in Los Angeles,” Journal of African American Studies, March 17, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-023-09614-9.
  • “African Proverbs, Riddles, and Storytelling: Promoting African Deep Thought in Africana Studies” Journal of Black Studies, March 6, 2023 https://doi.org/10.1177/00219347231157113
  • “From Black Student Activist to Africana Scholar Activist: David C. Turner, III and Black Graduate Student Activism as Professional Development, A Case Study,” Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 53, Nos. 4, 2022, pgs 323- 345, https://doi.org/10.1177/00219347221077275
  • “Africana Studies and 21st Century Black Student Activism: A Biographical Sketch of David C. Turner, III,” Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 52, Nos. 4, 2021, pgs. 359-378. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021934721996366
  • “Putting Some Soul into Critical Thinking: Towards an Approach and Process for Critical Thinking in Africana Studies,” International Journal of Africana Studies, Vol. 21, Nos. 1-2, 2020, pgs. 126- 147.

Peer Reviewed Blogs

Podcast/Media Interviews

Alice Nicholas

Africologist and Assistant Professor

Office: PSY-303
Phone: 562.985.4697
Email: alice.nicholas@csulb.edu

Research

Africology / Afrocentricity, African American Studies, Ethnic and Cultural Studies, Afrocentric Womanism, Africana Womanist Studies, Harlem Renaissance, Africana Literary Traditions, Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison, Black Poetry, Black Theatre, Afrocentric Literary Theory, Liberation Theory, Liberation Movements, Social and Political Thought, Comparative Ethnic and Global Experience

Education

  • Ph.D., Africology and African American Studies, Temple University, 2019. Dissertation: Liberatory Expressions: Black Women, Resistance and the Coded Word
  • M.A., Africology, California State University, Dominguez Hills, 2013.
  • B.A., English Literature and African American Studies (dual major), California State University, Dominguez Hills, 1993.

Teaching Areas

  • Introduction to Africana Studies
  • Introduction to Racial and Ethnic Studies
  • Introduction to Comparative Ethnic and Global Societies
  • Introduction to African American Literature
  • Africana Literary Traditions
  • Key Movements: Harlem Renaissance
  • Black Movements of the 1960s
  • Introduction to Africana Women’s Studies
  • Africana Womanism: Intellectual History
  • African American Women of the Civil Rights Movement
  • Africana Theatre
  • African American History, Part 1
  • African American Experience in the U.S.
  • African World People and Societies
  • Dimensions of Racism
  • History and Significance of Race in America

Selected Publications

  • “Zora Neale Hurston and the Coded Word,” Bethune-Cookman University (chapter in edited volume). Lexington Press (forthcoming)
  • “Umfundalai: Dr. Kariamu Welsh and the Afrocentric Essence of Unity,” Siyabonana: The Journal of Africana Studies. Special Issue: Maa Kheru: Honoring our Ancestor’s Contributions to Africana Studies (forthcoming)
  • “Chick Webb, The King of Swing,” Black Perspectives (African American Intellectual History Society (AAIHS)), November 22, 2023. https://www.aaihs.org/chick-webb-the-king-of-swing/
  • “Story #8,112,016 from 10 Million Stories; Obsidian.” Voices From Leimert Park, Redux. Shonda Buchanan (ed). Teshai Publishers / Harriet Tubman Press. Loyola Marymount University. (2017): 98-99.
  • “The Hum: Creative and Covert Communication as Resistance in Africana Literature,” Imhotep: Graduate Student Journal. Temple University (2016): 104-107.
  • “West Africanisms,” SAGE Encyclopedia of African Cultural Heritage in North America (2015).
  • Nicholas, Alice L. “The Politics of Identity: Blurring the Lines between Africana Womanism and Black Feminism,” Imhotep. 1.1.: Graduate Student Journal. Temple University (2014): 22-26.
  • “Story #4,112,011; A’ight Now,” African American Review 46.1 (2014): 145.
  • “Story #4,132,011; Idioms,” African American Review 46.1 (2014): 145-146.

Archived Works

  • “Week #11 Reflection. Into the Forest: Rumination of Human Stripped,” (2021, January) Autry Museum of the American West, “Collecting Community History Initiative: The West During COVID-19”
  • “Week #14 Reflection. The Animal Kingdom: A Perspective on Game a Few Weeks into What Has Become the New Normal,” (2021, January) Autry Museum of the American West, “Collecting Community History Initiative: The West During COVID-19”

Creative Works - 10 Million Stories Series

  • 10 Million Stories, Volume 1: Sacred Songs (1999)
  • 10 Million Stories, Volume 2: Rebel Music; ditty of the determined, dreadlocked daughter of a drummer and a dreamer in the diaspora (2001)
  • 10 Million Stories, Volume 3: Stereotypical Sambos (2002)
  • 10 Million Stories, Volume 4: heat (2003)
  • 10 Million Stories, Volume 5: Ancestral Slant (2010)
  • 10 Million Stories, Volume 6: Parallel of Latitude (2011)
  • 10 Million Stories, Volume 7: Wild Indigo (2011)
  • 10 Million Stories, Volume 8: The Legendary Ms. Dorothy Lee Toy; A Living Biography (2012)
  • 10 Million Stories, Volume 8.1: The Village Caregivers: African American Women and the Survival of the African American Community: For Clarice Brown, A Living Biography (2016)
  • 10 Million Stories, Volume 9: Reflections of an Africologist (2020)
  • 10 Million Stories, Volume 10: Toward our Original Selves (forthcoming)

Professional Affiliations

  • National Council for Black Studies, Lifetime Member
  • Diopian Institute for Scholarly Advancement, Platinum Lifetime Member

Uche Okafor

Lecturer

Office: PSY-307
Phone: 562.985.7843
Email: uche.okafor@csulb.edu

Academic Specialties / Areas of Interest

  • Africana Literature and Culture
  • Africana Theories of Gender Relationships
  • Third World Theories of Gender Relationships
  • Freshman Composition
  • Prebaccalaureate Language Skills
  • Creative Writing
  • Reimagining African Diaspora Families and Communities

Education Information (Degrees and Universities attended)

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Literary Studies, University of Nigeria, 2006; Dissertation:  A Comparative Study of Female Characters in the novels of Buchi Emecheta, Jamaica Kincaid and Alice Walker
  • Master of Arts Degree, Literature, University of Nigeria, 1993
  • Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education and English, University of Nigeria, 1987

Teaching Areas

  • African Literature and Culture
  • African American Literature and Culture
  • African American Theater
  • International Black Children’s Literature
  • Prebaccalaureate Language Skills
  • Freshman Composition
  • African American History to 1865

Professional Affiliations

  • National Council for Black Studies
  • Modern Language Association

Community Affiliations

  • Los Angeles World Affairs Council
  • Odinamba Women’s Cultural Association of Southern California

Special Distinctions

  • On September 17-18 2014, Dr. Okafor participated in the World Peace Summit tagged “The Summit for the World Alliance for Religions of Peace” in Seoul South Korea. Her paper was entitled” Women as Peacemakers: The African Example”
  • On February 14 2015, and June 20 2015 respectively, Dr. Okafor made guest appearances on a television show Yaba TV Show on Channel 13 KCOP Los Angeles.

Dr. Okafor's Website

Khonsura A. Wilson

Associate Professor 

Office: PSY-305
Phone: 562.985.8694
Email: khonsura.a.wilson@csulb.edu

Specialties

  • Afrocentric Theory and Praxis
  • Africana Philosophy (Aesthetics, Creativity, Spirituality, Ontology)
  • African American Social Thought (17th-20th century)
  • African Art and Design History
  • African History and Social Thought

 

Education

  • Temple University, Doctor of Philosophy in African American Studies, 2005. Dissertation: Makuneferu, The Truly Beautiful and Effective: An Afrocentric Study of Select 20th Century Creative Intellectuals: Towards a Portrait and Paradigm of Creative Thought and Ideal Creative Practice.
  • Temple University, Master of Arts in African American Studies, 1999. Concentration: Afrocentric theory and social praxis, African creative theories, and diverse modes of creative expression.
  • Rhode Island School of Design,  Master of Arts in Teaching, 1994. Advanced training in curriculum design.
  • Rhode Island School of Design, Bachelor of Fine Arts, 1992. Concentrations: Printmaking, multimedia illustration, sculpture, graphic design, art history, African literature, and Ancient Mexican art and civilization.
  • Brown University, Liberal Arts Courses, 1989-90. Areas of Study: African dance, Spanish culture, and language.

Courses Taught

  • AFRS 110 Introduction to Africana Studies 
  • AFRS 150 Critical Thinking
  • AFRS 155 African American Music 
  • AFRS 160 Introduction to Africana Art 
  • AFRS 255 Introduction to Hip Hop 
  • AFRS 330 Politics of the African American Community 
  • AFRS 400 African American Social Thought 
  • AFRS 363 African Art 

Publications

  1. Wilson, K. A. (2005). Kemet, Afrocentricity and Knowledge. In M. K. Asante & A. Mazama (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Black Studies (Vol. 1, pp. 295-297). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc. 
  2. Wilson, K. A. (2009d). Khonsu. In M. K. Asante & A. Mazama (Eds.), Encyclopedia of African Religions (pp. 363). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc. 
  3. Wilson, K. A. (2009k). Shedj-her-kek em Maa-aku-neferu: "Illuminating the Shadows of the African Creative Ideal" of W.E.B. DuBois. Journal of Black Studies 39(5), 744-760. 
  4. Wilson, K. A. (2010c). Veil and Veener of Intellectual Aesthetics. Journal of Black Studies, 40(6), 1107-1118. 
  5. Wilson, K.A (2013). The Cosmopolitan Creative Intellectual: The Creative Ideal of Paul Robeson. Journal of Black Studies, XX (X), 110.

Department Coordinator

Office: PSY-306
Phone: 562.985.4624
Email: chimbuko.tembo@csulb.edu

Part-Time Lecturers

  • Dr. Arnette Edwards
  • Dr. Zanele Furusa
  • Dr. Nathan Goodly
  • Prof. Marshall Goodman
  • Prof. Prince Gumbi
  • Dr. Jimmy Kirby, Jr.
  • Prof. Rita Page
  • Dr. Natalie Sartin
  • Dr. Sabrena Turner-Odom
  • Dr. La'Seanda Wesson
  • Prof. David Williams
  • Dr. Ngozi Williams 

Professors Emeriti

  • Professor Arnett Hartsfield
  • Dr. Alosi Moloi
  • Professor Amen Rahh
  • Dr. Jim C. Robinson
  • Dr. Ssendi Bede Ssensalo
  • Dr. Skyne Uku-Wertimer