Since becoming the first African American man descended from slaves to gain full professorship at the University of Idaho in 2021, Sydney Freeman Jr. has continued to push against barriers and advocate for Black students and faculty at UI. Most recently, EHHS Professor Freeman has worked with Brody Gasper, project manager for the Black History research lab, to co-author a book that dives into the history of Black students, faculty and staff here at UI. “The Seminal History and Prospective Future of Blacks at the University of Idaho” was published earlier this year and is available to read online.
Freeman explained that the inspiration for the research into the history of African Americans at the university came from a conversation in 2020 in the aftermath of George Floyd tragedy. The university was looking for a way to demonstrate that Black lives matter on campus, and Freeman suggested that the institution needed to study its history and highlight the contributions Black people have made at the university.
“So, what we what we wanted to do was to investigate the history of Blacks at the university,” Freeman said. “And so with that, we received a small grant to do some initial research, and out of that came the Black History Research Lab.”
The Black History Research Lab, which opened in the Fall of 2021, was created to facilitate research and tell the often-untold story of African Americans at the University of Idaho and the contributions they have made. Freeman and Gasper’s book is the culmination of research and discoveries made about the history of Black people at the University of Idaho.
Freeman discussed how learning about the university’s Black history helped him discover how he fit in here at UI.
“We felt that it was really important to have this book because, for instance, when I came on campus, I didn’t know any history related to Blacks here,” Freeman said. “So I wanted to get a sense of where my placement here was, and it’s nice to know that there are Blacks that have made major contributions to the University.”
Freeman and Gasper tried to find a balance while writing this book, both highlighting Black individuals who have made significant contributions at the University, and also uncovering the challenges that African Americans have faced at UI.
“The book has a section about some of the challenges we faced, and one of them was the Ku Klux Klan,” Freeman said. “So while we tell great stories, ways in which we have persevered, we also tried to tell a balanced story.”
By outlining the historical successes and challenges of Black indivduals at UI, the book serves as an inspiration and reference for people in the UI community who want to fight injustice.
“I think that a lot of times there are people that when they sense injustice, or they want to see change, they often are doing it in light of what’s going on around them at that time, but a lot of times they don’t know the history behind it,” Freeman said. “So I hope our book provides a blueprint for ways to move forward.”
Freeman explained that he hopes to see more Black representation overall at UI, particularly focusing on hiring a tenure-track director for the Africana Studies program, recruiting and retaining Black senior-level administrators and pushing for a Black distinguished professor at the university.
“I think it’s important that Black faculty members have been highlighted at this institution for their work in areas of diversity, but rarely are we highlighted for our academic scholarship and our contribution that way,” Freeman said.
Moving forward, Freeman wants to see a Black faculty member hired to run the African Studies Program. He also hopes that the Black History Research Lab will expand to address issues of the Black community flourishing and thriving; examining how to help black students, faculty and administrators flourish at UI. He explained that students can have a role in bringing about these changes.
“Students can lobby for these changes and speak up,” Freeman said. “As for what students can do, I want to encourage them to engage with the material to learn more. Read the book, engage with the website to learn more about information they probably have not heard about before, and become inspired.”
“The Seminal History and Prospective Future of Blacks at the University of Idaho” serves as a reminder of the achievements and contributions of African Americans on campus, as well as a guide for how to move forward as a university. Students can find more information about the book and the other work being done at the Black History Research Lab on their website.
“By reading this book, I think students will learn about their history and we hope that they’re inspired, inspired to do more,” Freeman said. “We hope that this is a blueprint that they can learn from, so this is a gift not only not only to alums who can see themselves in history. But this is also hopefully an inspiration for students, not just black students, but all students so they can persevere and thrive.”
Grace Giger can be reached at [email protected]