Sometimes, I feel that pieces of Black history that happen close to home can be easily missed, especially by white people (including me) at that community level. In our UMass community, Dr. John Bracey was described as a pillar of the department of Afro-American Studies, and a passionate mentor. As the founder of the department, he also helped to initiate the certificate in Afro-American Studies.
In light of Dr. Bracey’s recent passing, I’d like to ask that the Comm-Dis department and UMass more widely support the Afro-American Studies Department as they go through this period of mourning. If you know anyone connected to the department and feel comfortable, let them know you can be someone they can come to.
Please take a moment to acknowledge his work and impact: https://www.umass.edu/news/article/memoriam-john-bracey-jr
I’d also like to share one of his most recent projects, part of a long line of innovative projects and initiatives for furthering Black scholarship and presence at UMass. This series of interviews was conducted with his students and documents Black oral histories of UMass students and alums. This project has helped UMass members connect Black stories to our roots here on campus: https://www.umass.edu/diversity/blackpresence/voices/all
The Comm-Dis department can also check out Charlena Seymour’s video, at the top of the page. She is a graduate of our department, and has also served as our department chair and ASHA president!
“In 1971, Seymour joined the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Department of Communication Disorders first as an assistant professor. She served as the director of the Communication Disorders Clinic at the UMass in 1974 and was appointed chair of the department and dean of the Graduate School. In 2001, Seymour assumed the position of interim provost and senior vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. In 2004, she was appointed provost. Seymour later retired from UMass to serve as provost of Simmons College in Boston in 2009.”
You can learn more about Dr. Seymour in the DEI history section of our department page: https://www.umass.edu/public-health-sciences/academics/communication-disorders/justice-equity-diversity-and-inclusion/our-jedi-history
I personally look forward to exploring the archive in more depth and discovering more stories that influence the people and departments around us, as well as the rest of the country.
N a i l a A r s k y (pronouns: she/her)
M.A. Candidate in Speech-Language Pathology ’23