Kayci Resende-Abbott, Class of 2025
Neil Sicard, BA '00
Selvin Backert, Class of 2024
“Black history is American history, and I believe understanding the past helps us work towards a better future. I currently work at the Museum of African American History here in Boston. I want to go on working in museums, specifically within Black history, and the connections I've made working with people from Black Studies, with history professors, and through the Black Student Union, have worked in my favor.”
Read Selvin's Experience
Read Kayci's Experience
Read Neil's Experience
History Major/Black Studies and Women’s & Gender Studies Minors
Selvin Backert, Class of 2024
Read Hana's Experience
Hana Wallen, Class of 2025
History Major/Black Studies and Women’s & Gender Studies Minors
Philosophy Major/Black Studies Minor
Community Impact Unit/Mental Health Specialist, Salem Police Department
Political Science Major/
Black Studies Minor
“Black Studies gives students a space to have conversations and learn about history at a time when those opportunities are being stripped away in some places. This is a student-driven program, so we have the power to influence what we see and study. My favorite course so far, Africana Philosophy, opened my eyes to a broader definition of my field beyond the Western scope—and that’s helped further my interests and research.”
Philosophy Major/Black Studies Minor
Kayci Resende-Abbott, Class of 2025
“Representation matters. Taking my first Black Studies class with [founder] Professor Bellinger, an educated Black man, a guy who walked and talked similar to me, showed me it was okay to sound educated. It built my confidence. I started connecting with other folks in the African diaspora on a different level. And no matter how far my classmates and I have gone in our profession or in our lives, that bond keeps us together.”
Community Impact Unit/ Mental Health Specialist,
Salem Police Department
Neil Sicard, BA ’00
“Black Studies encompasses far more than coursework; it represents a profound engagement with history, nurtured by the collective efforts of students and educators. The insights I’ve gained have laid the cornerstone for my approach to community organizing; leading to the formation of the Pan-Afrikan Liberation Program, where comrades and I distribute material goods to unserved areas and provide political education."
Political Science Major/Black Studies Minor
Hana Wallen, Class of 2025
History Major/Black Studies and Women’s & Gender Studies Minors
Selvin Backert, Class of 2024
Philosophy Major/Black Studies Minor
Kayci Resende-Abbott, Class of 2025
Community Impact Unit/Mental Health Specialist, Salem Police Department
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Fund Accountant / Conversion Analyst – CIB Services,
JP Morgan Chase & Co.
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