The Black World by the CSUN Afro-American Studies Department

by Gayle O’Hara, University Archivist, Special Collections & Archives - February 18, 2025

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, CSUN went through a tremendous amount of change, coming out the other side a more diverse and inclusive campus with expanded opportunities for systemically disenfranchised communities. This was thanks to the efforts of a multitude of individuals, coalitions, and campus actors. In many ways, the most significant drivers were CSUN students and new faculty. In honor of Black History Month, we are highlighting The Black World, a periodical published by the CSUN Afro-American Studies Department (also known as the Pan African Studies Department and now the Department of Africana Studies). Special Collections & Archives holds issues of The Black World from 1970, 1975-1979, 1981-1984, 1987-1989, and 1991.

The Founding Africana and Chicana/o Studies at CSUN timeline on the University Library Digital Collections site provides a wealth of details about the momentous times in the 1960s that helped to bring about The Black World. The periodical sought to educate and empower Black students, staff, and faculty on campus as well as in the broader community. Poetry, information about tutoring and daycare, advocacy for students arrested during campus protests, stories and editorials highlighting racial disparities in policing and education, and much more are featured in the early editions. In the October 27, 1975 edition, the front page contains the “Chairman’s Welcome” from Dr. Bill Burwell, Chairman of the Pan African Studies Department (P.A.S.). He notes that at that time CSUN’s P.A.S. Department was the largest degree-granting Black Studies Department in the nation. Despite the progress made, he exhorted students to continue the struggle for equity. You can learn more about Dr. Burwell by listening to his oral history.

The Fall 1982 issue of The Black World highlights progress made since November 1968 when there were less than 40 Black students on campus. The editors emphasize the importance of understanding the historic relevance of this date. Seeing the robust Department of Africana Studies today, it is equally important to remember that this came about due to the tireless work of students, staff, and faculty right here at CSUN, and that those efforts had a ripple effect across the country. That history is preserved in The Black World and other primary sources in Special Collections & Archives. Given current circumstances in our country, including the legal attacks on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) efforts, it can be difficult to not feel discouraged and powerless. A look at The Black World reminds us that we can make lasting, meaningful change that embraces all of us.

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