Advocacy
While the near-instantaneous media connections of our world make it easier to be aware of social conflicts, movement, and solidarity, it can be still hard to recognize where and how to become involved as an advocate for change. This page is meant to serve as a starting point for personal learning, action, and activism for our students and community members.
Anti-Racism & Black Histories
As an academic institution rooted in the study of transatlantic society, the UNC-CH Center for European Studies recognizes and celebrates the racial and ethnic heterogeneity that is — and has been — the reality of European and American ways of life.
Every February, CES invites the members of our community to join us in discovering, celebrating, and honoring the Black and Afro-European figures, texts, and movements that continue to shape transatlantic discourse. Below, we offer lesson plans, links to exciting resources, and profiles of influential Black and Afro-European individuals.
If you would like to suggest an addition to this page, please let us know by emailing europe@unc.edu!
Lesson Plans
Authored by Dr. Priscilla Layne, (UNC-CH) Associate Professor of German, Adjunct Associate Professor of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies, and Jean Monnet Center of Excellence Key Faculty Member, these lessons plans (in English and German) on W.E.B. Du Bois, Ika Hügel-Marshall, May Ayim, and the film Home? by Elliot Blue, provide a strong starting point for bringing Black history into the classroom. Rooted in topics of race, poetry, and German society, these lesson plans can be utilized in a variety of subjects, and open the door to understanding Germany — and Europe — as a multicultural and multiracial society.
Article
In addition to a collection of lesson plans, Dr. Layne is also the author of an essay on teaching Black History, entitled “Using Black German Studies to Dissect Race in the American Classroom.” Utilizing a comparative lens, Dr. Layne’s work illustrates the value and necessity of teaching Black History in a transatlantic context to help students understand race as a social construct, and to begin to investigate how this construct shapes and is shaped by society.
Additional Resources
The UNC-CH Center for European Studies is committed to countering racism and violence at home, in Europe, and across the world. As an educational organization, we manifest our commitment by broadening the visibility of resources to learn about the history of structural racism and anti-Black violence, settler colonialism, colonial legacies, anti-immigrant policies. These topics include the intersections of racism, homophobia, transphobia, and gender. To this end, we are compiling a list of resources on these topics. If you wish to recommend a resource, please fill out the form on this page.
Submit an Anti-Racism Resource
We welcome submissions on any of the topics that the European Network Against Racism lists. Submissions may cover relevant topics in the US, Europe, or both. We especially welcome links to films, books, music, and other artistic works that explore these topics.
Some of the resources listed below, especially the academic articles and books, are available through UNC. Contact us if you would like advice on accessing them. Some descriptions below resources contain phrases directly from the linked pages.
Contributors
Thank you to Dr. Priscilla Layne (Associate Professor of German; Adjunct Associate Professor of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies, UNC-CH), Kellan Robinson (Contemporary European Studies Major, UNC Class of 2020), Brett Harris (Contemporary European Studies Major, UNC Class of 2021), Hannah Gill (Associate Director, Institute for the Study of the Americas; Director, Latino Migration Project, UNC-CH), Stacey Sewell (Assistant Director and FLAS Coordinator, African Studies Center, UNC-CH), and our anonymous contributors for their feedback and recommendations on resources.
- African Studies Center Statement & Resources
- Anti-Racism Resources (UNC Office of Diversity and Inclusion)
- Antiracist Toolkit, Department of Asian Studies
- List of Statements from Across UNC’s Campus (Carolina Seminars)
- Names in Brick and Stone: Histories from UNC’s Built Landscape
- Reclaiming the University of the People: Racial Justice Movements at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Anti-Racism Resources for all ages
- Matters of Race (About)
- Privilege Checklist
- Race Matters (PBS Documentary)
- Resources for Talking about Race, Racism and Racialized Violence with Kids
- Scaffolded Anti-Racist Resources
- Systemic Racism Explained
- The Planner’s Beginner Guide to the #BlackLivesMatter Movement
- The Quarry: A Social Justice Poetry Database
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
African Europeans: An Untold History
Uncovers the long history of Africans in Europe, revealing their unacknowledged role in shaping the continent.
An End to the Neglect of the Problems of the Negro Woman! Claudia Jones, 1949
Presents intersectional analysis within a Marxist framework. Focuses on multifaceted economic exploitation of Black women.
A Colored Woman In a White World (Mary Church Terrell)
Documents the life of a UK leader in the late 19th/early 20th centuries in the movements for civil rights, women’s rights, and world peace.
Black Africans in Renaissance Europe (eds. Thomas F. Earle & Kate J. P. Lowe)
Addresses the question, “How were the main stereotypes concerning Black people established in this period?”
Black Skin, White Masks (Franz Fanon)
Applies a historical critique on the complex ways in which identity, particularly Blackness, is constructed and produced.
EU Memory Politics and Europe’s Forgotten Colonial Past
Analyzes uneven European memory politics. Finds emphasis on Holocaust, Nazism, and Stalinism, and lack of focus on imperialism and colonialism.
Mapping Black Europe (Book)
Scholars from both sides of the Atlantic work to trace black history and culture across the European continent.
Mobilizing Black Germany: Afro-German Women and the Making of a Transnational Movement (Tiffany N. Florvil)
An investigation of the role of Black women in building the Black German identity, and their role in international politics.
Showing our colors: Afro-German women speak out (eds. May Ayim, Katharina Oguntoye, & Dagmar Schultz)
Brings to life the stories of Black German women living amid racism, sexism and other institutional constraints in Germany.
The Autobiography of W.E.B. Du Bois (1968)
Chapter 10, Europe 1892 to 1894, focuses on education in Berlin and the U.S.
The French Encounter with Africans: White Responses to Blacks, 1530-1880 (William Cohen & James le Sueur)
Traces the ways in which negative attitudes toward Black people became deeply embedded in French culture.
The Negro and the Warsaw Ghetto (W.E.B. Du Bois, 1952)
Addresses connections between anti-Black racism in the US and anti-Jewish racism in Europe.
The Wretched of the Earth (Franz Fanon)
Analyzes the psychology of the colonized and their path to liberation.
To Exist is to Resist: Black Feminism in Europe (eds. Akwugo Emejulu & Francesca Sobande)
Brings together activists, artists, and scholars of color to show how Black feminism and Afrofeminism are being practiced in Europe today, exploring their differing social positions in various countries, and exploring the ways in which they organize and mobilize to imagine a Black feminist Europe.
White Rebels in Black: German Appropriation of Black Popular Culture (Priscilla Layne)
Shows how German authors have since the 1950s appropriated black popular culture, particularly music, to distance themselves from the legacy of Nazi Germany, authoritarianism, and racism, and how such appropriation changes over time.
Documents areas where Europeans of African descent are juggling their multiple allegiances and forging new identities.
Also by Mail (Olumide Popoola)
Modern family comedy-drama that follows the experiences of Nigerian German siblings Funke and Wale who fly to Nigeria to bury their suddenly deceased father.
Arriving in the Future: Stories of Home and Exile
Anthology of poetry and creative writing, uncovering hidden chapters of activism, history, and literature production in Black German communities and beyond.
“Blues in Black and White” (May Ayim)
Collection of poems and prose on what it means to be Afro-German.
Flowers, Bread, and Gold (Chibo Onyeji)
41 poems on the contemporary history of Africans and people of African descent in Austria.
News anchor Jana Pareigis interviews other Black Germans on their experiences with racism in Germany.
Black and British: A Forgotten History (dir. David Olusoga)
Explores the enduring relationship between Britain and people whose origins lie in Africa.
Blaxploitalian: 100 Years of Blackness in Italian Cinema (dir. Fred Kuwornu)
Diasporic, hybrid, critical, and cosmopolitan dimension documentary that uncovers the careers of a population of entertainers seldom heard from before: African-American and African descent actors in Italian cinema.
Home?
A humorous and unflinching narrative of a Black European’s journey to finding “Home,” this short film builds awareness of belonging, oppression, and the beauty of affirming spaces. For a closer look at the film’s politics and context, Dr. Priscilla Layne has provided a lesson plan on Home?.
Sami Blood (prod. Lars G. Lindström)
Historical fiction following a 14-year-old Sámi girl. Exposed to the racism of the 1930’s and race biology examinations at her boarding school, she starts dreaming of another life. To achieve this other life she has to become someone else and break all ties with her family and culture.
While We Live (dir. Dani Kouyaté, Maria Larsson Guerpillon)
A powerful narrative film about Kandia, an African woman living in Sweden for 30 years who decides to move back to Gambia.
A Germany-based cultural and political forum by and for Black women.
Afro Empowerment Center Denmark (AEC)
A center focused on creating a safe space for People of African Decent (PAD).
Black Cultural Archives
The only national heritage centre dedicated to collecting, preserving and celebrating the histories of African and Caribbean people in Britain.
Black German Heritage & Research Association
The Black German Heritage and Research Association [BGHRA] documents and supports the activities of Black Germans internationally, and promotes scholarship relating to the historic and contemporary presence of Black people in Germany and Black Germans in the United States.
The Black Archives
A unique historical archive for inspiring conversations, activities and literature from Black and other perspectives that are often overlooked elsewhere.
Each One Teach One
A community-based education and empowerment project in Berlin, founded in the context of Black, racism-critical resistance movements.
European Network of People of African Descent (ENPAD)
A trans-European Network that brings together Black-led organisations in Europe to actively share our knowledge, campaign together and push for the political empowerment and representation of People of African Descent in Europe.
Imazi.Reine
An inclusive platform focused on history, decolonisation & feminism through art.
Initiative Schwarzer Menschen in Deutschland
An association representing the interests of Black people in Germany and standing up for justice for migrants.
Kanak Attak
A community of different people from diverse backgrounds who share a commitment to eradicate racism from German society.
A network of historians furthering knowledge about the Black Diaspora in German-speaking Central Europe in order to challenge racialized presumptions about history, national belonging, and citizenship in the region. Check out their interactive maps!
Black Central Europe: Lesson Plans & Syllabi
Teaching resources from the Black Central Europe network.
Black History Month Library
A collection of resources on Black history in the US, Europe, and beyond.
Herero and Nama Genocide
The US Holocaust Memorial Museum’s bibliography on materials about the Herero and Nama genocide that are in the Museum Library’s collection.
Inclusion and Diversity in German Studies | University of Waterloo
An introduction to racism, anti-Black violence, and Indigenous people as relates to German studies, especially in Canada. Includes resources on the following topics:
The African American Intellectual History Society’s series of essays on Black Europe.
France refuses to talk about race. New protests could change that (Op-ed)
Op-ed from French activist and journalist Rokhaya Diallo on the summer 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in France.
Franco-Arabic Rappers in Paris
Long-form essay on exploring what it means to be French, Arab, and Muslim through hip-hop.
How Much More French Can I Be?
Op-ed by French-Algerian hip-hop artist Medine after suburban riots occurred in France in 2005.
Négritude
Essay on Négritude, a cultural movement launched in 1930s Paris by French-speaking black graduate students from France’s colonies in Africa and the Caribbean territories.
Staying Alive Through Brexit: Racism, Mental Health & Emotional Labour
Essay on the white fragility and colonial legacies in the United Kingdom after the 2016 Brexit vote.
What Black America Means to Europe
Essay by University of Manchester professor Gary Younge on the summer 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in Europe, and their multiple connections to the US.
#WhoAmI: Finding myself – Amin, Germany
Short video feature on Amin, a German with Egyptian roots, and the discrimination he faces in Germany.
The African Enlightenment | Yacob and Amo: Africa’s precursors to Locke, Hume and Kant
Long-form essay on 17th-century Ethiopian philosopher Zera Yacob and 18th-century philosopher Anton Amo, who was born and lived on land that is now Ghana.
Explores the music of artists from Africa and its diaspora living, or having been born in, Sweden.
Afropean identities, Filming the Arab spring
Interviews with writers Johny Pitts and Caryl Phillips, who discuss the idea of Afropean identity. Also includes interview with academic Dina Rezk on popular culture and Egyptian politics.
Afro-Lisbon and the Lusophone Atlantic: Dancing Toward the Future
Explores the music of a network of DJs of African descent working in the suburbs of Lisbon, Portugal.
Closeup: French Afro-Colonial Memory and Music
Explores the music of artists in France and French-speaking African countries who are unearthing unknown periods of French colonial history.
George Floyd effect? Protests in France against police violence
Panel of activists, artists, and academics on the summer 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in France.
Time Travel Through Afro-Paris
A look at 30 years of adventures with African music in Paris.
Race and racism in Poland
Interview with Dr. Bolaji Balogun (Department of Geography, University of Sheffield) on “histories of Poland’s colonial extraction and the impact of whiteness, religion and (polish) centrism on racialisation and racism.”
The Fight Against Racial Injustice Is Transatlantic
Interview with University of Manchester professor Gary Younge, on the way racism in the U.S. affects how Europeans think about racism in their own countries.
These Are the Issues Facing Afro-Swedes
Interview with Nike Sandberg, spokesperson for the Afro-Swede Network in Skåne, on her work and the situation for Afro-Swedes in the country.
We Belong
A podcast that gives a voice to the New Daughters of Europe.
Investigates whether – and if so, how – discrimination is experienced by the minority group in Denmark designated as ‘Afro-Danish’.
Being Black in the EU
Examines the racial discrimination and harassment faced by people of African descent in the EU.
Afro-Swedish musicians analyze xenophobia and racism in Sweden.
Samy Deluxe – “Superheld” (“Superhero”; in German)
Motivated by the lack of superheroes of color, Afro-German hip-hop artist Samy Deluxe sings about his son, his experience with racism, and what it means to be a minority in Germany.
Panel of US-based academics focusing on recent incidents of state-sponsored violence towards Black individuals in the United States and Europe and related protests and demonstrations.
Director Discussion with Ines Johnson Spain, on Becoming Black (2019)
German Comics and Intercultural Dialogue: Birgit Weyhe’s Rude Girl (2022)
Goethe-Institut Washington: “Radical Diversity: Los Angeles”
An episode of the Goethe Institute-organized “Radical Diversity” series. This episode features Dr. Priscilla Layne, (Associate Professor of German; Adjunct Associate Professor of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies, UNC-CH). The series is hosted by two Millennial generation voices from Germany, Max Czollek (“De-integrate Yourselves”) and Mohamed Amjahid (“Among Whites: What It Means to Be Privileged”). This episode focuses on political activism and diversity.
“Race and Policing in the EU”
Panel of US and Europe-based academics and practitioners on the situation of different ethnic and racial minorities across Europe when they encounter the police. Organized by the Institute of European Studies at UC Berkeley.
Covers Black and Asian history in Britain from 1500 to 1850.
Raul Balai’s Artist Website
Raul Balai is an Amsterdam-based artist whose work explores exploitation and diversity in the European context.
Influential Black and Afro-Europeans
Despite prevalent myths of a monoracial and homogeneous Europe, the continent and its society has always been shaped by the influence of Black and Afro-Europeans. We are compiling several profiles on prominent Black and Afro-European figures from history and contemporary culture.
May Ayim
1960–1996
Black German poet and thinker May Ayim’s work was foundational for the recognition and scholarship of Blackness in Germany. A contemporary of Audre Lorde, Ayim worked to overcome perceptions of a racially homogenous, white Germany. Learn more about Ayim and her work with these resources:
Claudia Jones
1915–1964
Claudia Jones: a pioneer of intersectionality and a leader for Black women in both the United States and Britain. Want to learn more about Claudia Jones’ career and the first Notting Hill Carnival that celebrated black pride and diversity? Check out the following resources:
Sustainability
Sustainability studies examine ways to preserve resources and to protect the environment so that our planet remains hospitable to life. Concerns about sustainability motivate us to evaluate current systems and propose changes or innovations that increase efficiency. The eventual goal of sustainability is to have self-supporting systems. Recycling plays a role as do more efficient-energy systems and a move away from fossil fuels. Climate change is a sustainability issue that influences everyone’s lives due to economic disruptions, pollution, and natural disasters. Sustainable living provides the tools to mediate some of these disruptions and to reflect on the needs of future generations. By acting sustainably, we can reduce our impact on nature, and increase living standards across the world. The EU and the US support the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
ENEC 201: Introduction to Environment and Society
ENEC 210: Energy in a Sustainable Environment Seminar
ENEC 237: Food, Environment, and Sustainability
ENEC 393: Internship in Sustainability
ENEC 420: Community Design and Green Architecture
ENEC 431: Sustainable Cities: Exploring Ways to Make Cities More Sustainable
ENEC 474: Sustainable Coastal Management
ENEC 480: Environmental Decision Making
ENEC 482: Energy and the Environment: A Coastal Perspective
ENEC 520: Environment and Development
ENEC 547: Energy, Transportation, and Land Use
COMM 375: Environmental Advocacy
BUSI 507: Sustainable Business and Social Entrepreneurship
PLCY 520: Environment and Development
PLAN 330: Principles of Sustainability
GEOG 141: Geography for Future Leaders
- CDS
- CES Blog
- Sustainable Studies Minor
- Three Zeros
- CCCG
- CSBC
- HPDP
- The Recyclery
- Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC)
- Abroad
- WWOOF
- Germany
- Zero Waste
- Italy
- Proposta
- Spain
- Botannical Garden
- United Planet
Online:
Ukraine
The Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies and the Center for European Studies at UNC have gathered the following information from colleagues in Ukraine. Please consider helping. #StandwithUkraine
Ukrainian Perspectives
“Ukrainian journalists will write this history”
As the war stretches on, work by TransAtlantic Masters alum Esha Sarai, video journalist at the Committee for the Protection of Journalists conducted interviews with Ukrainian journalists to learn more about the challenging and changing roles of journalists in bringing Ukrainian stories to the world.
How is the EU supporting Ukraine?
Check out the monthly Ukraine Aid Factsheets from the EU Delegation to the US for more information on EU support to Ukraine.
How to help
Razom for Ukraine
Donating to Razom was recommended to us by our colleagues at the Kyiv School of Economics.
From Razom: “Razom’s Emergency Response is the SOS button that is pressed in times of need. We created this project to provide urgent help and support in face of an extreme and unforeseen situation in Ukraine. Today, the sovereign nation of Ukraine has to deal with the most horrendous and catastrophic emergency – a brutal invasion. Razom is responding to this by providing critical medical supplies and amplifying the voices of Ukrainians.”
Kyiv School of Economics
CSEEES and CES hosted a panel on Friday, March 4th, 2022, with scholars at the KSE.
The Kyiv School of Economics (KSE), together with Ukrainian businesses and state-owned companies, have launched a humanitarian aid campaign for Ukraine. The aim is to purchase necessary non-military supplies, first aid and protective kits for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, Ukrainian Paramedic Association, and the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces – mostly civilians who have volunteered in their country’s time of need – to shield them against Russian aggression.
Watch the Recording Visit the WebsiteUkraine Assistance Collection in the Triangle
Organized by Ukrainians in the Triangle
The Ukrainian Association of North Carolina is united by the love of, an interest in and a desire to support an independent Ukraine, as well as a wish to preserve, develop and nurture Ukrainian cultural heritage and traditions as a distinctive contribution to the culture of North Carolina.
Visit the Website