The College Fix

Many black studies programs are just ‘echo chambers’ of the left, advocate says

Kennesaw State University is getting rid of its “Black Studies” major this year, with some blaming the decision to President Donald Trump’s executive orders regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education.

The decision prompted a protest and condemnation from the Georgia NAACP. But a conservative African American advocate told The College Fix that many such programs have become “echo chambers” of the left.

The public research university in Georgia announced the closure of its black studies major in an email to faculty in April. The email, first reported at The Atlanta Voice, stated the major would be terminated due to its inability to maintain a three-year rolling average of at least 10 graduates a year.

The university also will be terminating its philosophy and technical communications majors due to low enrollment. The university stated in the email that students currently in these programs will be able to complete their majors.

University spokesperson Tammy DeMel later confirmed the cuts, telling the Georgia Recorder the black studies major averages fewer than six graduates a year.

The university media relations office did not respond to three emails from The Fix over the past two weeks, asking how long the program had been falling short of enrollment requirements and how its termination would affect the black community at KSU.

Roxanne Donovan, a “Black feminist scholar” who teaches psychology and black studies at KSU, responded to an email from The Fix stating she was unable to provide comment due to traveling.

The announcement prompted a protest at the university May 14. In a video of the protest on Instagram, Georgia NAACP President Gerald Griggs said he joined professors and students in calling on the university to reverse its “attempt to erase Black Studies.”

Griggs’ video showed protesters holding signs that blamed the Trump administration for the decision. Signs included “Black studies matter,” “Fascism starts with erasing identity,” and “The Trump fascist regime must go now!!!”

“Black history is American history,” another protester’s sign read. The individual also wore a shirt that read, “Big gay school of witchcraft and critical race theory.”

But Jovani Patterson, a Project 21 ambassador, told The College Fix the closure of black studies programs should not be surprising.

“This isn’t some nationwide crusade to erase Blackness,” Patterson said. “What’s happening is simple–some universities are trimming programs that aren’t working. Kennesaw State said it themselves: low enrollment. That’s not controversial. That’s administrative math.”

Project 21 is an initiative of the National Center for Public Policy Research to promote the views of conservative African Americans that have been misrepresented by the nation’s civil rights establishment. Patterson is an education advocate with the organization. He previously filed a lawsuit against the Baltimore City Public Schools, alleging it had altered grades and attendance records to receive more funding.

Patterson expressed concerns to The Fix about the lack of quality course content in many black studies programs.

“Most of these programs have become echo chambers – pushing the same tired ideology while pretending to speak for Black Americans. You’ll hear about Marx and Malcolm, but never about John Marrant, Harry Hoosier, or Booker T. Washington–Black leaders who helped build America, not tear it down,” he said.

According to KSU’s website, its black studies major was designed to “build knowledge of race, gender, class, and culture” by studying the “African presence in a global context.” Its website says it prepares students for majors in business, social service, or government sectors.

Detailed course information has been removed from KSU’s website. But internet archives of the classes state that the major “fosters an understanding of transnational experiences of African and African-descended peoples.”

The degree program also included classes such as “Black Thought Matters,” “The Black Woman,” and “Ethnic Minority Psychology.” One required class, “Black Panthers,” examined issues of the “black radical imagination” using the Marvel Comics superhero Black Panther.

The university is still offering a minor in African and African Diaspora Studies.

Nationwide, university programs focused on race, sex, and social justice are facing increased scrutiny under the Trump administration.

One executive order titled “Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education,” which Trump signed April 23, states accreditation agencies cannot require higher education institutions to “engage in unlawful discrimination” through DEI.

The executive order’s fact sheet also mentions, “President Trump is tackling the broken accreditation system that has left students with soaring debt, low graduation rates, and degrees of questionable value.”

However, the orders primarily focus on compliance with civil rights laws, including race- or sex-based scholarships, programs, admissions, and services, and not classes or degree programs in ethnic or cultural studies.

MORE: Tennessee university hit with civil rights complaint over 17 race-based scholarships

IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: A table display offers materials about Kennesaw State University’s ‘Black Studies’ major; Center for Africana Studies at Kennesaw State University/Facebook

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