Our Vision
AHSA HISTORY
The organization grew out of a protest at the 1968 African Studies Association (ASA) meeting in Los Angeles. Led by Dr. John H. Clarke, African descendant scholars demanded changes in ASA's Eurocentric approaches to African Studies and its marginalization of African descendant scholars. Due to the failure of ASA to reform itself, the African descendant scholars occupied the 1969 ASA Annual Meeting in Montreal, with the support of scholars from around the globe.
Following the 1969 occupation, the concerned African descendants incorporated AHSA in New York in 1969 following a meeting at Federal City College. Dr. John H. Clarke was the founding AHSA President and James Turner, Leonard Jeffries, Shelby Lewis (Smith), Nicholas Enyewu and Edward Scobie were among the founding Directors of the organization.
The 1st AHSA Annual Conference was held at Howard University in 1970. The 2nd was held at Southern University (1971), the 3rd was held at (1972).
It is important to note that AHSA successfully challenged the right of ASA to be seated as the official US delegation to the 1973 International Association of Africanists in Addis Ababa. The challenge resulted in Dr. John H. Clarke, AHSA's President, being selected to serve as leader of a joint AHSA-ASA delegation.
Our Mission
The mission of AHSA is to reconstruct, represent, and promote African history and cultural study along African centered and intergenerational lines while effecting the political, social, and economic union among communities of African people the world over.
Our Vision
The vision of AHSA is to be the preeminent African centered organization to connect the components of our heritage as an instrument of self-awareness and liberation.
As an organization, AHSA is creating a unique African centered leadership development process for youth, community organizers and scholar-activists committed to the liberation of African people everywhere.