New History Publication Coming August 7th
Kenja McCray and Curtis L. Todd have curated more than 200 archival photographs to tell the story of Atlanta Metropolitan State College on the eve of the institution’s 50th anniversary. The publication will be available via Arcadia Press’s Campus History Series on August 7, 2023. It can be preordered via several outlets, including Barnes and Noble.
Beginning in 1974 with 504 students, Atlanta Junior College (AJC) became the 31st institution of the University System of Georgia and the only public two-year college within Atlanta’s city limits. The college has evolved during its 50-year history. AJC grew into Atlanta Metropolitan College in the 1987-1988 academic year. The school underwent another name change in 2012, becoming Atlanta Metropolitan State College (AMSC), an institution that offers bachelor’s degrees alongside associate degrees and certificate programs. The college reached its highest enrollment (to date) of 3,129 in 2013. With a championship-winning intercollegiate men’s basketball team, AMSC became the first Georgia institution to rank among the nation’s top five Division I junior colleges for academic performance. Although it has grown from one building to seven facilities on 65.4 acres, the institution remains committed to its mission of being a gateway to an affordable, accessible, and quality college education for students in the Atlanta area and beyond.
Collaboration with Mercer University College of Education Helps Students Produce Documentaries
Screenings at at Johns Creek High School on Jan. 27, 2022 & Mercer’s Cecil B. Day Campus in Atlanta on Feb. 18, 2022
Keynote Speaker – The Excellence of the Black Woman Conference, 2021 – Henry Ford College
Women’s History Month 2021 Panelist- Women in Learning & Leadership, University of Michigan, Dearborn
Black History Month 2021 Panelist – Atlanta Technical College & Atlanta Metropolitan State College Present Civil Unrest & The Police Response
ATC & AMSC Cross College Conversations on YouTube
Antioch University – Winter 2021 Colloquium
Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: Environmental Justice and Human Rights, Y. Falami Devoe hosts conversations featuring Kenja McCray, Joseph Cronin, Sam Crowell, & Dawn Murray, Saturday January 30, 2021, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm (Pacific Time) / 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm (Eastern time), LIVE via Zoom / FREE
Talking women’s leadership, Stacey Abrams’ All In, Steve McQueen’s Small Axe, & more with KMT Asen Fraternity
KMT Speaks! Virtual Forum on YouTube
Valor Prep College Prep Academy BSU’s monthly talk hosted by Uzoma Miller & featuring Kenja McCray
Remembering freedom fighter Connie Tucker with Auburn Ave. Research Library
Connie Tucker Legacy Celebration on YouTube
Association of Black Women Historians’ Truth: Special Issue, Dr. Jacqueline A. Rouse, Remembrances
“We have dedicated a special issue of Truth to honor the late Dr. Jacqueline A. Rouse. The special issue, which is available for download from our website, contains selected remembrances from friends, colleagues, students, and mentees. We owe a special thanks to Dr. Mary Rolinson for suggesting it and to Dr. Kenja McCray who penned the issue.”
International African Arts Festival Symposium Brooklyn, NYC panel discussion on culture, community, & struggle
IAAF “Reflections of the EAST” Panel Discussion on YouTube
Black Perspectives – “The Women of the Committee for Unified Newark (CFUN)”
by Ashley Farmer
“There is . . . exciting new work in the pipeline on Black women cultural nationalists and the life, theory, and activism of figures such as Amina Baraka by scholars including Kenja McCray and Kim McMillion.” (read more)
Georgia Tech News Center – “Turner Foundation Awards Grant Supporting the Region’s First Sustainability Network”
“Redesigned and led by Atlanta Metropolitan State College (AMSC), Center for Sustainable Communities, and EPA Region 4, the fourth Academy began on March 28, 2019. Under the direction of attorney Anne Heard, executive in residence; Kenja McCray, associate professor of history; and Dean Vance Gray of the Social Sciences Division, AMSC’s goal is supporting the [Environmental Justice Academy] in growing and thriving in a location central to the communities the college serves.” (read more)
Publication by AMSC Faculty
“Please join AMSC in congratulating Shreyas Desai, M.S., Kenja McCray, Ph.D., and Curtis Todd, Ph.D. for their recent publication; ‘Disrupting Illusions of Fluency.'” Read this insightful, scholarly, and practical article at this link.
#BLKTwitterstorians Knowledge Drops
Habagi Gani? Check out the #BlkTwitterstorians: #Kwanzaa #KnowledgeDrop
Southern Foodways Alliance’s Oral History Workshop
Based on my studies of women’s roles in shaping Pan-African cultural-nationalist foodways, I was awarded one of two scholarships offered through the generous support of Southern Foodways Alliance donor, Edward Lee. Funds support critical studies of oral histories. The week-long summer 2017 SFA Oral History Workshop took place at Emory University, Atlanta. Sessions highlighted Southern foodways through the lens of Buford Highway’s many flavors, including El Sur Latino. Classes also focused on the impact of recorded narratives, and uses of digital humanities as well as other creative methods for disseminating narratives. I am excited about how this experience will shape my future research. Stay tuned!
Kenja R. McCray, Ph.D 