Africana Book Club promotes diversity, dialogue

Amid growing efforts to remove African American and African diaspora literature from classrooms at schools and universities worldwide, Simone A. James Alexander has taken a stand. 

As the director of Africana studies at Lehigh, Alexander said she felt compelled to respond to book bans by advocating for diverse literature that reflects the experiences and resilience of Black communities. She also aims to expand the Africana studies department and bring important books back into the classroom. 

“My goal, in many ways, is to bring back these books as a way to resist that movement that’s attempting to completely erase them,” she said.

Her initiative, the Africana Inaugural Book Club, held its first meeting last semester. 

By collaborating with Lyndon Dominique, an English professor at Lehigh, Alexander established the club as a space for students, faculty and staff to engage with the works of authors featured in the Africana Distinguished Lecture Speaker Series and Lehigh’s Visiting Faculty Scholar program.

After launching the Africana Distinguished Lecture Speaker Series, Alexander proposed holding book discussions after each visiting author’s lecture or scholar’s event, allowing participants to engage more deeply with the material. One writer and scholar who was invited by the program was Joan Anim-Addo. 

Last semester, the club’s theme centered on Black British writers, aligning with Alexander’s course titled “Contemporary Black British Writers.”  

The Africana Inaugural Book Club meets twice per year, once in the fall and once in the spring, to explore the works of these invited guests.

Alexander said each discussion focuses on a single work by the author following their visit to keep the content fresh in participants’ minds. She also said the idea for the club emerged after a meeting with Caryl Phillips, whose book, “Another Man on the Street,” was discussed at the club’s first meeting.

She said she hopes the club will become a major presence on campus and expand to nearby institutions, like Lafayette College and Moravian University. She is also open to hosting virtual meetings to engage participants beyond the local area.

Through this initiative, Alexander said she aims to cultivate a vibrant intellectual community that champions Africana literature and fosters critical discussions on race, history and identity.

“I would love to welcome anyone across campus, because my ultimate goal is increasing our numbers, building Africana, increasing our majors and minors, and  bringing visibility to the Africana studies program at Lehigh University,” Alexander said. 

Dominique shared a similar sentiment to Alexander. He said he hopes the club will become a communal space where students, faculty and staff can engage with one another.

“What I hope that students will take away from the club is a communal gathering with faculty, which I think is really, really important (and) one of the ways in which students can get to know faculty on a more social level, a more informal level but also an intellectual level,” Dominique said.

Alexander views the club as a collaborative space where students, regardless of their major, can gain new perspectives on literature. 

She said teaching literature is crucial for understanding diverse viewpoints and believes engaging with a variety of texts and faculty-led discussions can broaden students’ critical thinking skills while deepening their appreciation for different ways of reading and understanding the world.

Lya Joseph, ‘25, political science student, said she hopes the Africana Book Club will continue to host events. 

She also said she sees the club being beneficial in helping her stay connected to Africana studies through its discussions and events.

With her busy academic schedule, Joseph said she finds it challenging to read for leisure, but she sees the book club as an opportunity to make time for reading.

Through the book club, Joseph also said she looks forward to discovering new writers and scholars she might not have encountered otherwise.

Audrey Clancy, ‘27, an English major with a minor in Africana studies, said she is eager to participate in a faculty-student book club. She said she thinks other students should also join the club and explore Africana courses to gain new perspectives.

“I think taking courses that might expand your perspective or give a non-white western lens is very valuable, especially in our current climate,” she said.

Reflecting on her own academic journey, Alexander recalled how meeting the authors of books she read in graduate school was a key influence on her work. She hopes to provide similar opportunities for her students.

“I do believe students interacting and interfacing with faculty would be very beneficial for them,” she said. “I think we can also learn from these students, because they may have very different perspectives, and they may approach the text from a very different angle.”  

Alexander said the club is reading “Ocean Stirrings” by Merle Collins this semester. 

Dominique said the club will welcome students’ suggestions for books to read.