The African and African American Studies (AAST) program at the University of Arkansas is excited to host two historic Black History Month events on February 26 and 27. On Wednesday, February 26, at 6 p.m., AAST will host its inaugural Founder's Symposium, celebrating the program's rich history and past directors. The event will occur in the Arkansas Union Theater, Room 424, and will be followed by a reception.

The program will continue on Thursday, February 27, at 6 p.m., with the AAST Distinguished Lecturer Series featuring Dr. Pearl Ford Dowe. This event will occur in the Arkansas Union, Room 503/504.

Dr. Dowe served as the interim director of AAST from 2015 to 2016. She is the former chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Arkansas. She is the Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Political Science and African American Studies at Emory University, holding a joint appointment with Oxford College and Emory College of Arts and Sciences. She also serves as the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs at Emory and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

These events are partly sponsored by the King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies, the Diane D. Blair Center for Southern Politics and Society, the Department of Political Science, the Department of History, and the Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History.

About AAST: The African and African American Studies Program at the University of Arkansas has been an interdisciplinary program since the 1960s. It builds on the core disciplines of a traditional liberal arts education by exploring the African diaspora's legacy and the African-descended peoples' global experiences. With a focus on Africa, the United States, and the Caribbean, AAST promotes critical and global thinking, advances social consciousness, and fosters equity.

To learn more, visit the AAST website: https://aast.uark.edu/