Classics is a part of Black intellectual history – Howard needs to keep it
By Rebecca Futo Kennedy and Jackie Murray
Abstract: Howard University’s decision to close its small classics department may seem like an unusual piece of education news to attract widespread media attention, especially when student debt is at an all-time high, racism and free speech on campus are constantly being debated, and finances are tight in many colleges and universities across the country. Yet some of our country’s most well-known thinkers, such as Cornel West, have written about how useful classics – the study of Greek and Roman languages, literature and history – is at a historically Black college and university.
Published in 2021 on The Undefeated