Bob’s Underground returns with event

like, I can’t have my own recital because I’m not a music major… If I’m not in an ensemble, I can’t perform in Sebring-Lewis or any of those spaces,” Stewart said. “So that’s just a good reason I keep coming back.” search with Makeba Lavan, professor of English, that would have fit into the African diaspora studies department if it was offered during his time at Grinnell.

Ong said that the performing space that Bob’s offered helped take some of the stress out of entering as a first-year musician, while larger events could be more intimidating for new performers.

“Regardless of the instrumental or how professional… it is, it’s really nice to have a kind of casual environment that’s, like, no pressure. It’s not a big school-wide thing. I kind of like the smaller atmosphere,” Ong said.

“I think Grinnell College should make it a requirement for students to take at least one course in the department when it’s fully established,” Donaldson said. “I think it’s so important for white students to be thrust into that classroom scenario and to actively take part rather than sit silently and watch as Black students take on the emotional labor of educating us.”

Compared to other similarly ranked liberal arts colleges, Grinnell College is the “only one of our peer institutions that does not have something either related to Africana or Black studies,” Jones said. “And for me, that is unacceptable. I want there to be a place for every student to take advantage of what it means to be in the study of Black life. And when we’re talking about Black life, we’re talking about Black life across the globe.”

Jones said she is hopeful for the students and the classes of the African diaspora studies department.

“Just enroll, be interested, be curious, even if you know that this is something that you have an interest in or something you have never heard of before but you thought it might be interesting,” Jones said. “Let’s create a space where you can find time to study about this work.”