Stars aligned for ethnic studies center

Evelyn Hu-DeHart, director of the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America, believes the program is on the verge of national distinction. "My hope is to involve all departments and to build an excellent, credible ethnic studies concentration. I hope not to proceed as one lonely, separate unit, but to build bridges and alliances [across departments] so we can share and maximize our resources and energies."

by Mary Jo Curtis

Evelyn Hu-DeHart sees great significance in the location of the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America on a street named Power – and a mere stone’s throw from another called Hope.

Hu-DeHart (left), who assumed her duties as director of the center (CSREA) July 1, believes the program is “on the verge of national distinction.” She sees no other strong comparative race and ethnicity studies program in New England or the Ivies, with the exception of Columbia.

“With a 15-year history, our infrastructure is in place, and we’re poised to go to the next level. … There’s always a question of resources, but I think we have the will, desire and support across campus,” she said. “The stars are aligned, and the moment is ripe.”

The new director speaks with the authority of accomplishment. She served for 14 years as director of the University of Colorado-Boulder’s ethnic studies program, taking it from its infancy to department status, then chairing the department for six years. She speaks extensively on the subject of race and ethnicity, consulting and lecturing at universities and research institutes internationally.

The CSREA mission is “not just about teaching about people of color, but teaching about people of color from an insider perspective,” explained Hu-Dehart. “What makes ethnic studies distinct is that it’s created a space for scholars from these communities to be part of producing the knowledge about their community. … We start from a position of strength, of agency – and that’s a very different approach. The results are often very different [from those of other disciplines], and we end up complementing one another.”

Although Hu-DeHart credits administration and faculty with supporting and investing in the growth of the CSREA, she maintains its growth has largely been driven by students and their diversity. About 30 undergraduates currently concentrate in ethnic studies, and the center’s classes are full.

“I think the greatest diversity on campus is in our classes,” she said. “White students have learned it’s pertinent to their studies, too. There’s a wonderful coalition that cuts across color lines.”

In the University’s effort to increase its diversity, she sees a need “to bring in more faculty of color, both of great distinction and great promise.” But hiring faculty of color is only part of the answer; Hu-DeHart believes expanding the curriculum is equally important.

“We want to work across disciplines as they re-examine and broaden their curriculum,” she said. “My hope is to involve all departments and to build an excellent, credible ethnic studies concentration. I hope not to proceed as one lonely, separate unit, but to build bridges and alliances [across departments] so we can share and maximize our resources and energies.”

The CSREA has historically been staffed by faculty from other departments, but Hu-DeHart will hire two dedicated faculty to join her in serving the program exclusively. She sees the CSREA collaborating with American civilization, English, history, gender studies, religious studies, political science, economics, comparative literature, sciences, and medicine. The center is already working with the Center for Environmental Studies on developing a speaker series on environmental justice and racism and with Brown’s school reform scholars, collaborating on immigration issues and the creation of new classes and programs.

“You can’t talk about urban education today without talking about race and ethnicity,” she said. Hu-DeHart said she’s also made a commitment to “a small but special group” of Native American students to build a Native American studies program at the University, and noted current course offerings include “Critical Whiteness.”

“Ethnic studies has room for everybody,” she said. “There’s a lot of energy in this center with graduate and undergraduate students, postdocs, faculty, Native Americans at Brown and people from the community – such as the NAACP and the tribal leaders of New England. … There’s a sense of community here.”