Black Studies Department

Who We Are

Founded in 1970, the Department of Black Studies at Portland State University is one of the Pacific Northwest's premier centers for the study of the African Diaspora. We are an inter-, multi-, and transdisciplinary home where students, faculty, and community members engage the most pressing questions of our time—examining how Black life, history, culture, politics, and thought shape our world locally and globally.

We unapologetically center Blackness, Black voices, Black experiences, Black histories, and Black futures. Guided by the African philosophy of Ubuntu, "I am, because we are," we do not just study the world; we work to change it. Our subject areas and methodologies are tools for activism, resistance, and transformation. We are, at our core, community.

What We’re Fundraising For

This June, we are launching Career Ready in Black Studies, a campaign to expand career readiness and alumni engagement for our students. We are integrating professional skill development throughout our curriculum, helping students strengthen critical thinking, research, communication, leadership, and community-engagement skills that prepare them for careers across a wide range of fields. Alongside this curricular work, we are building infrastructure for an alumni network that connects current students with Black Studies graduates—creating lasting pathways for mentorship, networking, and career exploration long after students leave the classroom. Any additional funds not spent on this fundraising initiative will provide general support for the Black Studies Department.

Your Impact

A gift to Black Studies is an investment in the next generation of informed, adaptable, and engaged leaders. Your support helps us expand programming that bridges the gap between the classroom and the world of work because, for us, career readiness is not simply job preparation. It is the full development of people equipped to make meaningful contributions in their professions and communities.

By supporting Career Ready in Black Studies, you help us build a sustainable professional community rooted in Ubuntu; one where graduates remain connected, current students are mentored, and the long legacy of Black Studies at PSU continues to produce change-makers. Every gift, at every level, matters.