(See demonstration video below of interactive community research at the Africana Center.)

The Department of Ethnic Studies at Merritt College has completed a unique Africana Studies Community Research Center that houses an originally designed curriculum to be used on ipads and/or computers.  The curriculum is comprised of interactive museum-quality learning modules where students can engage through the visual, touch screen, and e-portfolio lessons about African-American history. The modules are multilayered high-impact visual installments produced by award-winning filmmakers and graphic designers.

The center is fully ADA compliant for hearing and visually impaired learners and accessible in Spanish.

The Africana Center includes a Black Family Research Specialist who works with students two days a week to train them on genealogy processes. Students work on their own family histories through interviewing elders, archival research, and DNA testing to create portfolios to enhance academic skills and enrich families with more information about their history.

The Center was the vision, determination, and hard work of Dr. Siri Brown, faculty member of the African-American Studies Department and former dean of the Ethnic Studies Department, who was proud to announce the grand opening in March 2016.

For more information about the Center, see the video above and come and visit!. To find about more about the African-American Studies Program (the first in the nation), visit www.merritt.edu/afram/

 

Interactive Africana Studies Community Research Center Demo from Jed Riffe on Vimeo.