BMCC honors and celebrates our Black and Afro-Indigenous relatives.
This Black History Month, please take a moment to recognize their experiences and
reflect on the shared histories that connect us all.
In celebration, we have three books available in the BMCC Library by Dr. Kyle T. Mays,
a member of Saginaw Chippewa Tribe and Afro-Indigenous writer, scholar, and professor
at University of California, Los Angeles: Hip Hop Beats, Indigenous Rhymes: Modernity
and Hip Hop in Indigenous North America, An Afro-Indigenous History of the United
States, City of Dispossessions: Indigenous Peoples, African Americans, and the Creation
of Modern Detroit. Please seek library staff if you need assistance locating these
books within the library.
We also asked Dr. Kyle T. Mays if he would like to share anything with the BMCC family:
Boozhoo Students:It's been a long while since I was a university student; I did my undergraduate at James Madison College at Michigan State University and graduated in 2009. I learned a lot about myself. At times, it was a struggle being Black and Saginaw Chippewa. While it was never a contradiction growing up in my family, it became clear to me that Black and NdN communities often wanted me to pick a side--something that I firmly rejected. But through the support of Black and Indigenous professors and mentors, I was able to maintain my sense of self.“I did so much as a student. I participated in student activism, protesting against racism in my college. I did a study abroad in Japan. In fact, it was through this study abroad that helped me on my academic journey: I wanted to unpack the history of enslavement and dispossession in the United States! My biggest takeaway from all of the things I did as an undergrad, is it takes an entire community to be successful. Kinship is an important part of one's journey--never forget that!Indeed, through my mentors like Sault St. Marie Chippewa Professor George Cornell and my other mentor, Dr. Geneva Smitherman, I decided that pursuing a doctorate degree was the right path for me. It was Dr. Cornell who encouraged me to write about my great-grandmother, Esther Shawboose Mays and my aunt Judi Mays's activism in Detroit from the 1970s-1990s. My aunt Judi founded the third ever public school in U.S. history in Detroit called Medicine Bear American Indian Academy. As a side note: none of us would be anywhere without our badass NdN grandmothers and aunties; don't forget that!Since graduating with my Ph.D. in 2015, I have been fortunate to write several books and meet some amazing, dope people around the world. While I live in California, I'll always call The Mitten my home. I'd love to connect with you all at some point! In fact, I'm embarrassed to say this, but I've never been to the UP. My older brother used to sing in a powwow in Bariga back in the day, but I was always playing baseball, so I never went up there! What a shame!We are living in times of great distress. However, we are guided by our Creator and carry the spirit of our ancestors with us as we walk daily.If there's ever anything you all might need from me, please don't hesitate to research out. ([email protected]).Bamaappii,Dr. Kyle T. Mays”