Celebrating 50 Years of Black Studies at City Colleges of Chicago

Fifty years ago, in 1975, City Colleges of Chicago offered its first courses in Black Studies. Later that year, Olive-Harvey College established City Colleges first Black Studies department. The department's birth was a sign of the times, born from student activism, community advocacy, and a national movement for truth and representation in education.

How Black Studies Began at City Colleges

The creation of Black Studies in Chicago mirrored movements happening across the country in the 1960s and 70s. As more Black students entered predominantly white institutions, they found themselves enrolled in programs that ignored or misrepresented the Black experience. Nationwide protests demanded that courses include Black history, culture, and contributions.

In Chicago, that momentum led to the first Black Studies courses being offered at Olive-Harvey College in 1975. Founding faculty members, including Professor Ismay Ashford (the department's first chair), Professor Armstead Allen, and others, introduced core courses such as Introduction to African American Studies and Analysis of White Racism. These classes gave students tools to understand systemic racism, global Black history, and the political forces shaping their lives.

One of those founding faculty members, Professor Allen, has a longstanding history with City Colleges. He was a liberal arts student at Wilson Junior College, now known as Kennedy-King, and later taught at Olive-Harvey. He remembers the nationwide discourse to develop Black studies departments.

"Students were taking world history, but there were no mentions of the role of Black people in world history," said Professor Allen.

Students weren't seeing themselves reflected accurately, or at all, in these courses, so some participated in "teach-ins." They would enter history classes and challenge professors during a lesson.

"Demand for Black education was all over the country," Professor Allen shared. "Students were linking up with students at other schools to share information. We were very excited to see students at the forefront of getting these courses."

Once Black Studies courses began, there was no textbook to rely on. Professor Allen would use his connections and his creativity when teaching his Black Studies course in 1975, inviting speakers from all over the country to City Colleges.

At its peak, Olive-Harvey's Black Studies department offered more than 22 sections of African American Studies, each filled with 35 students.

A Faculty Member's Black Studies Experience

Half a century later, faculty, like Associate Professor of African American Studies Dr. Zoe Franklin (Olive-Harvey), Professor Curtis Keyes (Olive-Harvey), Professor S. Moore (Kennedy-King), Dr. Daniel Davis (Kennedy-King), Professor Misbahudeen Ahmed-Rufai (Malcolm X), Professor J. Cartier (Harold Washington), and many other dedicated adjunct faculty, carry that work forward by not only teaching students history, but giving them a sense of identity, and strengthening their critical thinking of the world around them.

Dr. Franklin first discovered African American Studies after moving to Chicago and learning she could major in the discipline at Chicago State University.

"It was the lack of knowledge that inspired me," she said. "As I was reading about African history, I saw my background. I saw the roles of my grandmother, my aunties, my uncles. I saw the village I grew up in."

She became the first in her family to earn a college degree-an accomplishment that led to her bachelor's, master's, and eventually a doctorate.

Today, Dr. Franklin teaches Introduction to Africana Studies, Contemporary Conversations in African American Studies, Institutional Racism, and courses supporting the One Year and Out Pathway to Policing program at Olive-Harvey for students entering the Chicago Police Academy.

She also co-advises the Africana Studies Association, a student organization with a decades-long history of conferences, service projects, cultural programs, and campus leadership. Each spring, she hosts the Africana Studies Certificate of Merit Ceremony to recognize students who complete four or more courses in the discipline. While this is not a formal credential, students proudly display the accomplishment on resumes, scholarship applications, and transfer portfolios.

The Power and Purpose of Black Studies

When asked why this discipline matters, Dr. Franklin didn't hesitate.

"Even if you never get a degree in Africana Studies, it will benefit any field you go into," she said. "We don't need to go through the world as drones. We need to be thinkers-critical thinkers."

Black Studies helps students of all backgrounds understand structural racism and the history shaping the present. It builds empathy, cultural competence, and informed citizenship. For those entering fields like policing, healthcare, education, and public service, understanding this history is essential.

"If you understand the relationship between Black communities and institutions today-and how those relationships developed-you can serve more responsibly and more humanely," Dr. Franklin added.

Professor Allen echoes that sentiment.

"Given our current climate, we need to revisit Black Studies and what it was supposed to do," he said. "Students need to understand what it was, what it is, and what it should be."

Looking Ahead: A 50th Anniversary Celebration

To honor this milestone, Kennedy-King College is hosting 50 Years of Black Studies in 50 Minutes on Thursday, February 26, 2026. The event will chronicle the founding of Black Studies at San Francisco State College and discuss how the legacy of the Black Studies movement continues to shape education at City Colleges of Chicago today.

Learn more about Black Studies courses at City Colleges at https://www.ccc.edu/africanastudies.

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