Voices of the Black Academy
Academy. Advocacy. Scholarship.
Voices of the Black Academy (VBA) is an organization composed of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students with a mission to promote academic scholarship and critical research on Africa and the African Diaspora. VBA also seeks to promote the uplift of and activism within black communities as well as foster relationships within the Black academy.
Pillars: Academy, Advocacy, and Scholarship
Programming
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Brown Bags
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Reading Groups
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Socials
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Happy Hours
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Community Outreach
386 University Hall, 230 North Oval Mall
Columbus, OH 43210
2015 - 2016 Executive Board
President, Brandy Woods
Brandy Woods is a Graduate Teaching Associate in the department of African American and African Studies. She graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 2014, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Africana Studies. As an undergraduate, Brandy participated in various leadership roles and forms of student-activism.
Brandy is currently a second year MA student. Her research focuses on the nuances of Black masculinity and sartorial politics. Brandy’s life goal is to aid in improving the life chances of the marginalized.
Fun Fact: Brandy has bungee jumped. Care to join me next time?
Vice President, Nicole Barnaby
Nicole Barnaby is a Graduate Associate in the African American and African Studies Department. She is currently pursuing her Master’s with a specialized focus on incarceration and the prison industrial complex. After graduation she hopes to work in the non-profit or grassroots sphere contributing to reentry efforts.
Nicole is originally from Boston, MA where she grew up and also attended undergrad. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from UMass Dartmouth with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. During her undergraduate career she studied abroad in Fiji and Australia where she developed a love for traveling. Since then she has also traveled to 9 other countries. Other hobbies of hers include reading and listening to music.
Fun fact: Nicole has her black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
Treasurer, Jasmin Howard
Jasmin Howard is a Graduate Teaching Associate in the Department of African American and African Studies at the Ohio State University. Jasmin received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she majored in the disciplines of Political Science and African American Studies and minored in Southern Studies. Her research interests are focused on the intersectionality of blackness and femininity with a specific focus on how the femininity and blackness of African American women shaped their activism during the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement. After garnering her MA, Jasmin plans to pursue a PhD in History. She ultimately seeks to become a historian and Professor in African American History.
Areas of Expertise (or Focus)
-Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement
-Intersectionality
-Feminism/Womanism
Publicity, Shunichi Maruyama 丸山 峻一
Shunichi Maruyama is a Graduate Associate in the Department of African American and African Studies at the Ohio State University. Shun received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Aoyama Gakuin University at Tokyo in Japan. He graduated with a degree in English and American Literature, with a focus on African American history and literature. As an undergrad, he spent a year in the University of Oregon as an exchange student studying International Studies and Political Science. His areas of interest are in Black French history, specifically in black experiences and racial discourse in Paris in the early 20th century. His current research interest centered on the experiences and contributions of black females in the interwar Paris and their intellectual connections with the early Négritude movement.
Areas of Expertise (or Focus)
- Black French History
- Transnational Black Modernism
- Cultural and Identity Politics
2014 - 2015 Executive Board
President, Chloe Greene
Chloé Greene is a Graduate Teaching Associate in the Department of African American & African Studies. In May 2012, Chloé graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and African American Studies from the University of South Carolina. During her undergraduate career, Chloé served in various leadership positions not limited to Internal Director of Dance Marathon, Secretary of Multicultural Affairs, and president of the Iota Chi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Chloé is pursuing a Dual Master’s degree at The Ohio State University in African American and African Studies and City & Regional Planning. She is interested in the promotion of asset-based community development and placemaking as tools to advance economic stability and social prosperity within the African American community. Upon graduation, Chloé plans on working in the placemaking field before establishing her own private placemaking firm.
Fun Fact: Chloe is the most accident prone person on the planet..which really isn't that fun.
Vice President, Hannah Vidmar
Hannah Vidmar is a Graduate Associate in the Department of African American & African Studies at The Ohio State University. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. She graduated with degrees in both African American & African Studies and International Studies, with a focus on international relations and diplomacy, along with a minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. As an undergrad, she spent a summer in Arusha, Tanzania studying human rights and capacity building with the East African Community. Broadly, her areas of interest are in social and political theory, postcolonial studies, and cultural politics. More specifically, her current research interests are centered on East African politics, history, and identity politics.
Fun Fact: Hannah absolutely loves to travel - anytime, anywhere.
Secretary, Trenton Edwards
Trenton Edwards received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with majors in both Criminal Justice and Sociology, along with an undergraduate certificate in Women, Sexuality, and Gender Studies. During his undergraduate career, he served as the president of the Omicron Chapter of Alpha Nu Omega Fraternity, Inc. He was also an Elite Owl, a leadership ambassador program designed to recognize exemplary student leaders at Florida Atlantic University. A South Florida native, he was also an International Baccalaureate student at Suncoast Community High School in Riviera Beach, Florida. He is now pursuing his Master of Arts degree at The Ohio State University in African American and African Studies. His research interests are centered on African Americans and higher education along with black racial identity development. He plans on going into the arena of Higher Education in areas such as Multicultural Affairs or Diversity and Inclusion.
Fun Fact: Watch out! Trenton is a triple threat - singer, dancer and has experience acting.
Treasurer, Joshua Bates
Joshua Bates completed his Bachelors Degree in Media and Cultural Studies, Sociology, and Political Science at the University of California Riverside. His research interests are Environmental Racism, Criminalization of Black Bodies, Policing, Counter Hegemonic, Black Masculinity and Femininity, and Critical Race Theory.
Fun Fact: Josh was featured on Judge Judy. Ask him about it.