The Severed Relationship Between Black/Africana Studies and Black Communities

For my independent Study I want to examine how both the black community and Universities\u27/Colleges and black studies/Africana studies departments have played a role in this decline. One of the objectives of my Independent Study is to identify new creative directions to make Africana Studies a part of the mainstream American education that is involved in the improvement of the black community and the strengthening of Black identity. My study attempts to understand the rift that seems to have developed between Black studies/Africana studies as an academic endeavor and the African American community out of the struggle of which it sprang and for which it was intended to be a natural partner and ally. In other words my Independent Study will attempt to answer the following questions: Has a disconnect grown over the last years between Africana Studies/Black Studies and African American communities? If so, what factors explain this situation and what are the possible remedies to restore the bond between African American communities and Africana/Black studies programs and departments? Although my hypothesis is that a disconnect has grown over the last years between Africana Studies/Black Studies, I am prepared to look at arguments suggesting that there is no disconnect. Assuming there is a disconnect I will see how to repair the disconnect. If there is just a weakening of it I will look to see how to strengthen the connection