Your Voice, Our Experience Matters: Introducing the Drumbeat — Umoja's Interdisciplinary Journal

Dr. Bush

On what the Drumbeat is and why it matters:

"The Drumbeat is an academic interdisciplinary journal, and it intentionally centers Black thought, Black creativity, and African-centered pedagogy. It's important to me because it creates a platform where Black scholars, academics, and creatives are not only seen, but they're valued and amplified. And for so long, our work has shaped culture and education, yet it has not always been given the space or the recognition that it deserves. So, I think that the Drumbeat changes that, and it's more than just a journal."

Dr. Naguib

On who he wants to hear from:

"I'll repeat something that was repeated a lot this weekend, at winter coordinators retreat around students being our highest priority. So for me, I want to hear all the voices. There's so many thought leaders. There's so many people, so many influential, impactful artists, visual, written, spoken, right? But for me, I want to hear from our students. I want to hear from young people."

Dr. J. West

On how the Drumbeat connects to the Umoja Global Institute:

"The Umoja Global Institute is the work, and the Drumbeat is the witness. So UGI is where we practice Ubuntu, not as a slogan, but as a disciplined way of being with one another. And with the Drumbeat, that's where we name what happened. We honor those who made it through. We leave a record so that the next generation doesn't have to reinvent what our elders already have bled for. So the relationship to me is kind of like a call and response — UGI calls us into the daily labor, the training, the reflection, repair, community building, courageous leadership — and the Drumbeat responds by transforming that labor into shared knowledge, into scholarship, story, art, testimony, something you can teach from, cite, debate, and pass down as well."