Introducing the Department of African American Studies’ first undergraduate and graduate research lab, the SoulFolk Collective.
W.E.B. Du Bois famously asked the question of the Black community: “What does it feel to be a problem?” Drawing inspiration from W.E.B. Du Bois’s seminal work, The Souls of Black Folk, the SoulFolk Collective (affectionately called “SoCo”) is a community of researchers dedicated to positioning Black space as a blueprint for more liberatory futures. In our solution-based research, we center Black experiences, histories, and futures in scholarly inquiry. We aim to touch the very essence of the Black soul—acknowledging its pain, celebrating its joy, and committing to its freedom through every page of our scholarship.
Our research collective engages in multidisciplinary research that prioritizes Black-affirming methodologies that amplify the voices, stories, and lived realities of Black communities. We hope to destablize estabished racial categories, and reimagine new ways of being and connecting.
The Soulfolk Collective fosters a nurturing environment for creative and critical scholarship that challenges traditional narratives and reimagines otherwise possibilities. Rooted in the Black soul, our research collective is a space where the richness of Black thought and experience is not just observed, but deeply felt, and woven into the fabric of our collective striving toward liberation for all.
We would like to express immense gratitude for the generosity of our donors who allow the Department of African American Studies to help our students, faculty, and staff excel in their field via research funds, awards, travel support, guest lectures, and the purchasing of equipment. Please consider donating through the UW Foundation.
Donate Online:
Department of African American Studies Fund
Give by Check:
Please make checks payable to the University of Wisconsin Foundation/Department of African American Studies can be sent to:
University of Wisconsin Foundation
U.S. Bank Lockbox
P.O. Box 78807
Milwaukee, WI 53278-0807
“The additional funding from the department has been instrumental in facilitating my attendance at national conferences that provide me with an invaluable opportunity to showcase my research, network, and exchange ideas with scholars from different schools. The support from the department will not only enable me to travel, but will also contribute to my academic growth in the department and the University of Wisconsin-Madison at large. I am grateful for the support and opportunity afforded me and I express my profound gratitude to our donors and Alumni.”