Student Ambassadors Spread the Word about Africana Studies Minor at UTC

Chattanooga, Tenn. (TN Tribune)-The Department of History at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga announced the recipients of 2024 Linnemann Scholarships and launched a new ambassador program to highlight the Africana Studies minor. The Dr. Russell Linnemann Memorial Endowment in History to support Africana Studies in the Department of History was established in 2021. The scholarship was created to honor Linnemann, who taught African and British Empire History—and courses on the blues—at UTC for 36 years before his unexpected passing in 2006. The 2024 recipients are senior Zennia Nesmith, a non-traditional student majoring in psychology, and Mychael Allen-Fennessee, a sophomore history major. In their scholarship applications, Nesmith and Allen-Fennessee shared their thoughts on the significance of the Africana Studies program. “In my two semesters as an Africana Studies minor, I have gained a more foundational understanding of the complex and beautiful history of Black Americans than I did in 12 years of grade school,” wrote Allen-Fennessee, a native of Nashville. “Africana Studies is so much more than a minor; it’s the cultivation of critical thinking skills, the expansion of your worldview, and a deepening connection to your fellow man.” Nesmith said that the knowledge gained from her Africana Studies classes...