Upcoming Article

This article identifies and analyzes Black Fire UVA as a compelling pedagogical toolkit that aims to challenge existing paradigms, igniting conversations about race within higher education. Developed by historian Claudrena Harold and filmmaker Kevin Jerome Everson, this groundbreaking initiative integrates a film series, a lecture course, and a dynamic multimedia project. By placing Black perspectives at its core, Black Fire UVA dissects systemic racial issues and cultivates inclusive educational environments. This article identifies its distinctive methodology --what I call the Black Fire UVA method -- as actively involving students in five key steps: exploring historical media, establishing relevancy of history and race relations to students, fostering student involvement in media production, building a sense of mattering and belonging among Black students, and cultivating a community of learners.

This project’s deriving conversation with historian Claudrena Harold and filmmaker Kevin Everson about their Black Fire UVA project at the Virginia Film Festival