The dismantling of Africana studies has been a slow, steady process over decades and needs to stop. ORACLE GRAPHIC/KEATON DUKE

Less than five undergraduate students are enrolled in the Africana studies major at USF. I am one of them. 

The low number of Africana studies majors may make this area of study seem inconsequential. But it’s far from it, as the field has a variety of uses at USF and beyond. 

Initially, I joined USF during spring 2025 as a political science major, unaware that an Africana studies major existed anywhere — let alone at USF. 

Then, in my second semester, I took a course on racism in American society — partially because it sounded interesting, but mostly to fulfill a general education requirement.

This class taught me the history of racism in the United States, but also required me to identify how discrimination occurs locally and create a mock proposal to resolve the local issue.

I continued taking Africana studies courses because of how captivating my professors were and the interesting topics offered, until I picked up a minor and eventually a major. 

The Africana studies bachelor’s program teaches about “Africa and peoples of African descent in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean,” according to USF.

Initially, Africana studies was an entire department at USF, but it was dissolved in 2015 due to funding cuts. It is now considered a transdisciplinary academic unit housed within the School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies, according to its website. 

In December, USF identified 15 programs for possible termination — one of them was the bachelor’s in Africana studies. On March 10, the Board of Trustees voted on these proposals and decided not to terminate the program, according to the BOT agenda.

USF has proven unreliable in preserving Africana Studies, and the university needs to be intentional about protecting the program. If it is protected, student interest is likely to follow.

Related: USF annual review identifies 15 programs for possible termination 

Africana studies professors are the lifeblood of this program. They make the topics engaging and relevant, never ceasing to show up and brainstorm new experiences and opportunities for their students. 

USF spokesperson Althea Johnson said there are currently four full-time faculty members at USF with “teaching expertise” in Africana studies. 

However, these professors’ course loads are not limited to Africana studies, as they also teach courses in other graduate and undergraduate programs. 

This is a not-so-subtle indication that Africana studies may not be a priority for the university, as professors are spread thin across multiple disciplines. 

David Ponton spent eight years at USF, first as an assistant professor and eventually as the undergraduate director at the School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies. 

Ponton left USF in 2025 and is now a faculty member at a liberal arts college. 

He said people often have a limited view of what Africana studies is about, but this field offers broad benefits to students who go on to pursue a wide range of careers.

“Africana Studies trains students to think critically about what it means to be human in a world where ‘humanity’ has been culturally and politically constructed to exclude certain groups based on social categories of race, gender, sexuality, disability, class, national origin and so on,” Ponton said.

Africana studies courses equipped me with knowledge I could not find elsewhere, offering insight into the missing pages of history often omitted in my other courses. 

Instead of the dominantly white view of American history, literature and politics, these courses opened my eyes and showed me key historical figures — like Marcus Garvey, Zora Neale Hurston and Booker T. Washington — that are often only a footnote in my other classes. 

My Africana studies courses have also required me to read Black women authors — like Mariama Bâ and Myriam Warner-Vieyra — spanning continents, cultures and income levels. 

These opportunities would have been missed if I had not taken an enhanced general education course in Africana studies, an option no longer offered to incoming USF students. 

In 2023, the Florida state legislature passed Senate Bill 266, which prohibited the teaching of systemic racism or that the “United States was created to maintain social, political and economic inequities.”

The implementation of the bill effectively broke general education courses into two categories — general education courses for students entering fall 2025 and later, and enhanced general education courses for students entering before fall 2025, according to the USF course inventory. 

Before SB 266 passed, USF students had five Africana studies enhanced general education courses to choose from. USF students who entered last semester have zero, according to the USF course inventory. 

While students can still take most Africana studies courses at USF, they won’t count toward general education credits — which means fewer students are likely to seek them out.

Related: OPINION: Attacking international students, staff won’t make Florida stronger 

Ponton said the months-long process of removing Africana studies from the approved general education course list was “opaque” and filled with emergency emails and fast deadlines.

USF Undergraduate Studies notified professors that these five Africana studies courses would be removed from the general education course options unless they could provide an explanation stating that their courses did not violate SB 266. 

“Ultimately, the attestations didn’t matter, and the courses were removed anyway,” Ponton said.

Johnson did not clarify what the university’s procedures were for approving or submitting general education courses at the time.

This process was one of the deciding factors in Ponton’s ultimate departure from USF. 

Ponton also said course evaluations for his “Introduction to the Black Experience” class at USF received significant positive feedback — with students describing it as “life-changing.”

These evaluations highlight that the value of Africana studies is not limited to students choosing to pursue a major or minor. 

The major offers students an opportunity to broaden their perspectives and look inside pages of history that are often excluded. 

Removing and disincentivizing access to Africana studies does a disservice to students who could have learned from these alternative perspectives — and reveals where USF’s true priorities lie. 

“Based on my work as a historian and a social theorist, I say with sober and thoughtful conviction that USF simply will not meaningfully support or sustain Africana studies,” Ponton said. “I dare the next USF president to prove me wrong.”