Word: afros
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...LEGION OF ADMIRERS, THE Afro-American studies department that Henry Louis Gates Jr. is assembling at Harvard is the most glittering display of black brainpower since W.E.B. Du Bois studied alone at the university a century ago. To its detractors in the black-studies movement, it is simply a collection of high-profile academic hustlers driven more by a lust for fame and big lecture fees than by any deep commitment to the field. Either way, the house that Gates is building in Cambridge has emerged as the most visible sign that black studies has been reborn as a vibrant...
That is especially true now that Gates has snagged one of the country's most influential sociologists--the University of Chicago's William Julius Wilson, who will be a professor at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and in Harvard's department of Afro-American studies. That means "Afro-Am," heretofore best known for Gates' esoteric literary theories and Cornel West's philosophical fulminations on race, will be a strong voice in public debates over poverty and racial tension. During Wilson's 24 years at Chicago, his research on how worldwide economic changes combined with the residual effects...
...more than pursuing research and engaging in public debates. Some of the bigger names might not be quite as accessible as most other professors (hint: make an appointment, don't just show up to their office hours). However, all Harvard students have the opportunity to benefit from the Afro-American "dream team" that the university has assembled. Not only are their classes fascinating, but they are often available to speak at Harvard functions or comment on campus issues...
However, while we praise the University's efforts to create such a strong Department of Afro-American Studies, and although we urge students to take advantage of its resources, we must offer one caution. This department will be able to wield much influence--Professor Gates said that "the Du Bois Institute [is] in an ideal position to assume a central role in shaping public policy issues of race and class." While Harvard's scholars should continue to be vocal and influential, they should not use their power in academia to silence other voices or completely dominate intellectual discussions. For example...
This caveat aside, we remain enthusiastic about Professor Wilson's decision to come to the Kennedy School and join the "critical mass" of scholars at Harvard. In a university that is already flooded with intellectual luminaries, the Afro-American studies department may be the jewel in Harvard's academic crown...