revised website

The website for the Department of African American & African Sudies has been updated. As part of this process we have a new URL (http://aaas.umn.edu/) and email address (aaas@umn.edu). The old afroam.umn.edu and afroam@umn.edu URL and email address, however, are still in operation, as they get redirected to the new locations.

Presentation on Indigenous Peoples' Rights in Africa

On February 4, 2010, the African Union adopted the decision of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) in the case of Endorois Welfare Council v. Kenya. After more than decade of litigation in front of the Kenyan courts and at the ACHPR, the ruling validated the Endorois' claim that the Kenyan government had removed them from their ancestral land in a manner that violated the community's fundamental rights to practice their culture and religion, to economic development, and to freely dispose of their wealth and natural resources. On Tuesday, June 29, 2010 from
12:00-1:00 P.M. Abraham Korir Sing'Oei will discuss the case and its ramifications based on his experience as a longtime advocate for the Endorois and for indigenous rights in Africa. The presentation will take place at the law offices of Robins, Kaplan, Miller, and Ciresi, 2800 LaSalle Plaza, 800 LaSalle Avenue, Minneapolis, 55402. Lunch and parking validation are provided. R.S.V.P. by Monday, June 28: (612) 341-3302 ext. 128, or lyoung@advrights.org

Abraham Korir Sing'Oei is a Kenyan lawyer and human rights advocate. He is co-founder, former executive director, and current board member of the Center for Minority Rights Development, a non-governmental organization focused on strategic litigation and advocacy to protect the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples across Africa. Sing'Oei was co-counsel for the Endorois Welfare Organization in their 7-year long case before the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights. Sing'Oei was a Humphrey Fellow at the University of Minnesota and holds an LLM from the University of Minnesota Law School. Sing'Oei is currently a Democracy and Governance Program Officer with the US Agency for International Development in Nairobi.

Juneteenth 2010

June 19 is Juneteenth (also known as Emancipation Day or Freedom Day), a holiday that commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas. The 2010 Twin Cities Juneteenth Celebration and Festival will take place on Saturday, June 19, at North Mississippi Regional Park, 5114 North Mississippi Drive in Minneapolis.

Onishi's Diaspora essay

The journal XCP: Cross Cultural Poetics has launched a new blog in order to reach a broader audience. Assistant Professor Yuichiro Onishi's short essay on Diaspora originally appeared in 2005 (number 15/16 of the print version of the journal).

Mayes' teaching award

Assistant Professor Keith Mayes has received a 2010 College of Liberal Arts Arthur "Red" Motley Exemplary Teaching Award. The Motley Award honors faculty who inspire and care, who make themselves approachable, who show an interest in individual students' well-being and in programs for the benefit of students generally, who give of themselves generously in advising, counseling, and directing projects, and who create an active classroom atmosphere. Such faculty provide a model to undergraduate students through their own research and teaching, and leave an impression by their efforts which alumni recall with appreciation and esteem. Dr. Mayes was also recently awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor (effective August 2010).

African immigration to Minnesota

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has published a story about African immigration to Minnesota: 2009 marked the first time Africa was the source of a majority of Minnesota's legal immigrants, with Somalia sending the largest number.

Outreach Coordinator in the news

AA&AS Outreach Coordinator Scott Redd has introduced many exciting outreach and engagement activities since joining the department in 2008. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has published an article about a recent campus visit for Minneapolis' Bryn Mawr Community School fifth-graders, in which Scott played a large role.