The Georgia NAACP is planning a protest of Kennesaw State University’s decision to drop Black Studies from the school’s program list. The protest is scheduled for Wednesday, May 14, and will take place outside of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia office at 270 Washington Street in downtown Atlanta.
The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia will hold its regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, May 15 at 9 a.m. According to The Atlanta Voice sources, a decision on whether the Black Studies and Philosophy majors at Kennesaw State University live or die might take place during that meeting.
“The Georgia NAACP believes Kennesaw State should understand the importance of preserving Black Studies –not just as a major, but as a vital framework for truth, equity, and critical thinking,” Gerald A. Griggs, an attorney and the Georgia NAACP President, told The Atlanta Voice. “This program affirms the value of Black voices, past and present, and equips all students to engage with history, culture, and justice in meaningful ways.”
Last month, the Black Studies program, which is an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree program offered at Kennesaw State University, fell victim to recent Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) cuts.
Staff in the Black Studies department received word of the closure from Dr. Catherine Kaukinen, the Dr. Norman J. Radow Endowed Dean’s Chair of the Humanities and Social Sciences and Dean of the Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences (RCHSS) via email.
The Georgia NAACP, Kennesaw State University students, and faculty have requested that university leadership reinstate the Black Studies program and the others (Philosophy and Technical Communication) that have been cut.
The Georgia NAACP recently requested a meeting with Kennesaw State University President Kathy Schwaig.
Kennesaw State students and faculty held a virtual press conference on Saturda, May 10, to demand that the programs be reinstated. Several students and faculty members, including Black Studies professor Dr. Roxanne Donovan, expressed their concerns over how the program was cut without any input from either group.
“The decision to deactivate the Black Studies major was made without transparency or due process, violating KSU’s own policies for program deactivation,” Donovan said in a press release. “I stand in solidarity with my colleagues in Philosophy and Technical Communications and call for a reconsideration of these decisions in a transparent and inclusive manner.”
The faculty and staff associated with all three programs will keep their jobs, according to the email announcing the deactivation of the programs.
The current presidential administration has been in office for 100 days and has made DEI cuts a priority. From cutting hundreds of roles at federal agencies to an ongoing public fight with Harvard University over the institution’s DEI policies and admission practices, the Trump administration, in many ways, has set the tone for many other institutions, including universities and major businesses, to cut programs.