HBCU Spanish 1: An Afro Intercultural Approach
At Central State University, the International Languages and Cultures program has been
historically underdeveloped and under-enrolled. However, this is not an isolated situation as
study of International Cultures and Languages is minimal within the African American student
body in all U.S. universities with only 4% of them attaining degrees in World Languages.
Currently, there exists little data regarding the study of foreign language studies at HBCUS. Two
facts we know are that only 37 programs have degrees in foreign languages and there are no
existing linguistic programs. Nationwide, only 6.8% of black students study abroad due to
financial barriers lack of confidence, and lack of representation (Parker 2). This creates a
disparity of African American students who engage in careers where second language
acquisition is a requirement or highly sought after. It also creates a gap between them and those
students who gain international experiences as global citizens. Without stronger and higher
enrolled and developed International Languages and Cultures programs in our HBCU’s, our
students will miss an opportunity to serve their communities better and gain skills that would
increase their diversity and flexibility in the job market in the United States and abroad. More
importantly, and perhaps more unfortunately, if our curriculums do not change, our language
program will cease as in other institutions in the area.
Soon after becoming an Assistant Professor of Spanish at CSU, I was met with this
dilemma firsthand. I began teaching at CSU after my graduation from the University of
Cincinnati in the fall of 2022 and had signed on as a remote professor. At that time, we were
using an online platform called Mindtap that self-graded most activities, leaving our program in a
state of autopilot. In that year only 70% of students would pass the Spanish 1 and Spanish 2
every semester, while the other 30% would end up with an exceptionally low or an
unenthusiastic pass. The looming question was, why did students of our HBCU have such a
challenging time with this form of learning, and why weren’t more students registering for our
higher-level courses that we would painstakingly create semester after semester?
After losing our full time French teacher and Tenure Track Assistant Professor of
Spanish in the Spring of 2023, I made the decision to teach a few classes on campus so that I
could better assess the situation and try to create change in the department. What I ended
doing became the basis of this book project that I have entitled HBCU Spanish: An Afro
Intercultural Approach. During my integration as an in-person professor and promotion to course
coordinator, I had been doing research on the implications of Diversity on the future of Higher
Education. In one year, I gave three presentations at CSU, Howard University and Xavier. In
these investigations, I learned that students of diverse backgrounds performed better when they
were represented in the curriculum. I also came across powerful practices such as creating
syllabi with students, using project-based activities that paralleled student’s diverse ways of
learning, and creating a safe classroom space where students could talk about their success
and challenges as students of color. I was able to connect this with the text From Eves Rib a
collection of poetry by Ms. Gioconda Belli; renowned activist and poet from Nicaragua. As her
text suggests, my approach to teaching became inspired by the notion that lasting societal
change would come when the “other” began to speak as opposed to being spoken for. That true
revolution would come when the indigenous, the black, and the women of Nicaragua would be
educated to express the injustices that have been committed against them and, in turn, become
the leaders who would set the foundations for a more equitable future. For example, one
important act that Belli, as well as others did during revolution was to go to the poorest towns
and teach the people how to read, by encouraging them relate the stories to what they
experienced as campesinos. In an analogous way, my research on the implications of
Nicaraguan revolutionary poetry in comparison diversity and inclusion topics in Higher
Education, suggests that students who do not come to college with the same intellectual
backgrounds as traditional college students may learn differently. They may need to engage
with the material more personally to gain better understanding. They may even need activities
that boost their confidence that they can indeed succeed as college students before delving into
more complex topics. My research led to the belief that one source of this confidence will come
when our HBCU students see their histories and experiences mirrored in the ILC curriculum,
they will become more drawn to the topic and understand that they too can learn another
language or engage with a new culture. That they too can become global citizens.
In the fall of 2023, I commenced redevelopment of our curriculum. It began with ending
the use of Mindtap and creating communicative activities in collaboration with the students.
Since Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 are the only two required courses for disciplines within the
humanities, I began here. To find out what mattered to my students, I began with surveys and
focus groups. These focus groups took place both in and out of class in Spanish. We would
begin with a simple conversation about a topic of interest which used a small group of words
and phrases in the past, present, and future. As the students went about the conversation, they
would use the phrase “cómo se dice?” which translates to “how do you say?” to add words that
would serve their communicative purpose. These momentos have been enlightening and
enjoyable. For example, students wanted to know how to say that they study “broadcasting” or
“oceanography” or “professional development” as opposed to “mathematics” or “science”
provided in more generalized Spanish for College texts. Culturally, they wanted to know about
rap music in Latin America or how to say that “they do braids on the side for extra money.”
Curiously, they wanted to know all the words associated with technology, AI, sports Academia
and social media. Overall, I have found that they wanted a more sophisticated level of
vocabulary to describe the complexity of their identities as black, Latinx, and mixed people and
their hopes for the future within these identities. They needed an active vocabulary that would
help them communicate effectively with Spanish speakers in their desired careers as
sociologists, broadcasters, international influencer, translators, writers, and teachers. It was not
that they needed more words or grammar. What they needed were the words and dialogue that
mattered to them and their lives. These preliminary investigations have led to strong belief that
the introductory Spanish language book for this population of students must contain
representations of people, places and things that the students connect to. That it must consider
a serious representation of their personal and professional interests. As a result of this research,
I have created over 2500 active vocabulary words, grammar, and phrases that I intend to use in
the formal text.
Using these collaborations as a base point, I have narrowed the chapter breakdown into
four fundamental themes of HBCU Spanish. They are “Who we are/Quienes Somos.” This
chapter breaks down talking about identity with diversity in mind. The illustrations will represent
cultural practices of African American lives and present students with a representation of
themselves in the HBCU setting. Culturally, this will mirror the textual, audio, and visual
representation Afro Latin Americans in Colombia. The vocabulary will relate to the active
vocabulary and grammar discovered in the focus groups when talking about origin, describing
the self, and expressing these identities with others through conversation.
Since our students are interested in a learning a second language to strengthen their
resume or land better jobs, chapter II, “El Mundo Profesional/The Profesional World” will present
the most current professions with an emphasis on common HBCU professions such as
communications, business, journalism, psychology, and education. Simultaneously the text will
represent the lives of Afro Latin Americans in the professional world through audio, visual and
textual mediums and teach students specific forms of formal communication.
Following suit, the third chapter “Conexiones Academicas/Academic Connections” in
which the students talk about their academic lives, their HBCU cultural practices and learn a
sophisticated level of academic vocabulary to help them feel advanced and confident in their
language learning abilities. As in chapter 3, the majors and minors and institutional history
presented in the vocabulary and grammar foci will be those of CSU, while students will be
presented with audio, written and visual the academic world of La universidad tecnologica de
Choco, an HBCU located in the small town of Choco, Colombia.
Chapter four “Cultural Fusiones/Fusiones culturales will take a similar approach while
focusing on cultural practices of African American and Afro Latino societies, while considering
their similarities and differences. We will target cultural vocabulary and themes of Afro diaspora
and cultural mixing with an emphasis of conversational dialogues about family, food, traditions
and religions.
After understanding the vocabulary that they needed for conversational activities as a
basis for these chapter themes, I began trying to understand the best learning practices and
communicative goals for this population of students with an afro-intercultural practice in mind. To
do this, I began to increase student’s linguistic capacity with the use of podcasts in the target
language recorded with the collaborative voices of afro-Colombian teachers, students, artists,
and professionals connected to UTCH. These podcasts follow specific themes with targeted
communicative functions in mind, such as informal/formal greetings, talking about daily activities
in the workplaces, and asking/answering questions about study habits, and describing cultural
practices. So far, we have created 6 podcasts and utilized them for one way video speaking
exams and oral capacitation of Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 students. These activities give them a
chance to interact in a non-threatening environment with an Afro Latin American professional or
student speakers. I have discovered that these activities positively increase their ability to
understand spoken Spanish rapidly. They also follow the communicative nature of the text’s
methodology.
During the course of this fellowship, I will be collaborating with Dr. Aristarco to create
more fitting podcasts for each chapter and engage in targeted research regarding the use of
podcasts for language learning. To edit the podcasts, I will collaborate with students and staff of
Central State’s Broadcasting and Communications Departments. Since language classes at
CSU heavily enrolled communications major, this activity will also spark interest in our program
and will highlight the media aptitudes of our students and staff. On this UTCH side, Dr. Aristarco
will organize the recording of the podcasts online and in-person with various professionals,
artists, students and professors. Apart from the invaluable pedagogical value of the podcasts,
these podcasts will become a living document of Afro Latino culture and society.
The third fundamental concept of our book to be developed with greater depth during the
fellowship is the Cultural Analysis. These written activities are designed to foster active
conversation about afro cultural materials that relate to the student’s lived experiences. The
cultural analysis has proven an invaluable tool to practice writing, reading comprehension, and
foster meaningful conversations with the students about a variety of topics related to academia,
racism, politics, history, and societies of Afro Latin Americans. Since our student’s share similar
experiences in the Afro diaspora, they connect well with the materials and feel enthusiastic
about practicing Spanish. So far, I have created 2 cultural analyses for each chapter and tested
their effectivity in 2 separate courses of Spanish 1 and Spanish 2. My goal is to continue
research in second language acquisition to edit them and create more the final for the text.
So far, these activities have led to an increase in positive evaluations of our Spanish
language classes, an increase in Spanish minors, and the successful launching of two new
upper-level courses: Intermediate Spanish for Conversation and Literature and Music by Afro
Latinos. Since the success of our sustained international virtual exchange and curriculum
redesign, I signed a book contract with Kendall Publishers (HBCU division) in April of the year
2025. This text will implement previous research and virtual exchange materials while creating
new ones. This online book will be designed for use at any HBCU to spark enthusiasm for
language and cultural studies with supplemental sustained virtual exchanges. Now, my goal is
to organize the materials I have created into one full text which will be the first Spanish book in
Higher Education to represent the past, present and future realities of African American and Afro
Latinos with sustained virtual exchange modules.
As we are in the middle stages of the project, during my ACLS fellowship, I will continue
writing and testing of four chapters of Afro-Spanish I: Cultura y sociedad with 3 student research
participants from CSU and one professor from Colombia. Methodologically, the book´s teaching
style will follow practices of diversity in Higher education and the most innovative
communicative methods in its consideration of the following research questions. 1) Will talking
about topics related to student´s identity and personal lives lead to an increased motivation in
language learning? 2) Will representations of audio, visual and textual black experiences in Afro
Latin Americans help HBCU students feel more comfortable with language learning? 3) Will the
focus on conversations with specific communicative goals related to student’s lived experience
in comparison to Afro Latin American ones rather than mechanical exercises increase students’
abilities to speak naturally and fluently? 4) How does the use of podcasts for one way speaking
assessments with Spanish speaking with speakers who identify of black impact the velocity
of language learning and student´s attitudes towards it. 5) Which cultural analysis and
communicative goals function best in the virtual interchange space 7) What are the differences
of language learning achievements between students who engage with our materials and
exchanges in comparison with students who engage in a more traditional approach? 8) Will
intercultural experience prepare students for a successful study abroad experience? This study
will prove fruitful as it will open up the doors for student collaboration as I continue creating
vocabulary and themes that relate to the HBCU and experiences of our student of color. These
representations will be the starting point of active immersion in the language through podcasts
and targeted communicative functions and cultural analysis. Using an Afro-cultural methodology
to create safe spaces for students to talk about their identity, history and lives, the foundation of
this existing design will be strengthened by active investigation by the PI on communicative
methods that go hand in hand with the materials presented in each chapter and the targeted
goal of speech.
Through this project our student research participants will have the opportunity to use
their engagement with the materials as credit for Spanish 1, whereas at the end of their first
year, they will receive a 1,000$ language scholarship with the opportunity to travel to Choco,
Colombia with me to gain the credits that they need to fulfill a Spanish or International
Languages and Cultures minor through their engagement in in-person Spanish interchange with
Dr. Aristarco’s students; participation in activities on campus related to their major, such as work
on a radio broadcast; activity with non-profit organizations; or collaboration with art, dance or
drama groups. They will also sit on classes in Spanish that relate to their major. This student
engagement will give us a chance to document the power of our text and language program
while giving our students and unforgettable experience that will enrich their lives professionally
as they act as global citizen and student ambassadors for the CSU International Languages and
Cultures Department.
Overall, this book project will bring more visibility to our ILC department, foster
collaboration between two HBCUS here and abroad, while testing and implementing an afro-
intercultural method that includes conversational, audiovisual, written, and accessory materials
that will be used for the final text in future years. It will also be a book that all CSU students will
be able to use for Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 classes, creating enthusiasm for upper-level
courses. My hope is that HBCU Spanish will lead to more that represent the oft marginalized
Afro Latin American and African American cultures and societies in academic and professional
contexts, namely higher education curriculum. On a larger scale, this project will show what
methods work best for improving language learning for black students starting at the level of
representation in curriculum and lead to CSU becoming the first university to offer Afro Spanish
as a minor.
The Latin American Generalist in an HBCU
My research starting place seemed to be everywhere and in every type of
writing related to Latin America and Spanish. We call this a Latin American
generalist. From that standpoint, I was able to publish articles and give scholarly
presentations on canonical themes ranging from the image of biblical women in Post
War Spain to Translations of an unknown Central American Transcendental poet of
the XX century (see c.v.). Though disparate in time and theme, what unites these
scholarly endeavors is the Spanish Language. As a black girl from Canton, Ohio, I
never imagined that this language would take me all over the world, open my mind
to new ways of thinking and knowing nor land me a job at an HBCU in the very small
town of Wilberforce Ohio where Spanish and cultural studies are almost non-
existent.
Throughout my three years of teaching here, I’ve realized that the feeling of
physical and emotional isolation pulsates within the student body which causes
them to be very limited in what major they choose and what they think they can do
academically. As a scholar, I began to think of innovative ways to make my students
act as global citizen through sustained international collaboration and bilingualism.
This has been a challenge being that learning a second language and engaging with
the Spanish culture and language seemed more than foreign to them as it did to me
long ago. Furthermore, our curriculum lacked real time conversation that would help
them gain confidence. In short, our course materials in Spanish did not resonate
well with the population of students in our university because they did not seem
themselves represented in it. As I tried to think of ways to get students to beyond
the Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 courses, I concluded that redesign of Spanish 1 and 2
had to be the focus to capture students’ attention and sustain it. I still didn’t know
how.
After being invited to read at a book fair in Choco Colombia, a small and oft
isolated community of Afro Latin Americans, I was inspired to connect the university
community there with ours through virtual exchanges, so that students could have
an opportunity to connect with passionate language learners who looked like them
and shared similar experiences. These experiences have proved so fruitful, that I
began collaborating with a linguist in Quibdo to create curriculum that would
support and sustain these dynamic exchanges in a more targeted way. This turned
into the notion of the book we now called HBCU Spanish. During my research for
materials for this text, my teaching life began to influence my research with greater
tenacity. For example, the election of two female Afro vice presidents in Latin
America led me to further analysis about the ways in which Afro and indigenous
thinking (especially by black women) are transforming the political trajectory of
Latin American culture and society.
This book project had indeed become a valuable way for me to stimulate
International Languages and Cultures and the study of languages and cultures at
my HBCU while targeting my scholarly vision to a people, a culture and a society
who still struggle to become a part of what is considered “general,” “normal,” or
“common” to the story of Latin America. As a Latin American Generalist teaching at
an HBCU, I realized that my research had been based on what we “generally” know
about Latin America, not what has been erased, silenced, or diffused.
This next step of my research in teaching Spanish with an Afro perspective
by and for students at HBCU’s is not one of independence, but one of collectivity
that will impact the lives of Afro descendent student here and abroad. This goes
hands in hand with my belief that CSU will thrive when our students feel
represented in the curriculum in a manner that is sustainable, motivational, and
innovative. In this way, they might see that language learning can take them on
unimaginable personal and professional journeys that are lifelong.
Workplan: HBCU Spanish: An Intercultural Approach
Research and Investigation of Curriculum: August 2025- January 2026
PI will research in the area of efficient communicative methodologies and diversity and inclusion
curriculum in Higher Education. She will then apply investigation 1 to strengthen our Afro-
cultural language methodology to be used in the course curriculum. After, PI will select the
communicative functions to be implemented into the themes of every chapter in parallel to the
afro-cultural content. During this time, she will selection and evaluate 3 student volunteers from
Central State to participate in the communicative interchange activities for study and
observation of the quality of the curriculum to ensure that they are beginners and have an
interest in the topic
Phase 2- Development and Testing of Topics Curriculum- January 2026-February 2027
From January 2026 to March 2026, PI will write Afro-cultural materials, testing and adjusting 4
fundamental communicative functions with students for Chapter 1 provisionally title, ¨Quienes
somos/Who we are¨. From March 2026-June 2026, PI will write Afro-cultural materials, testing
and adjusting 4 fundamental communicative functions with students for Chapter 2 provisionally
titled ¨El mundo profesional/The Professional World.” From July 2026-September 2026. PI will
writeAfro-cultural materials, testing and adjusting 4 fundamental communicative functions with
students for Chapter 3 provisionally titled ¨Conexiones academicas/Academic Connections.”
From September 2026- November 2026 will write of Afro-cultural materials. There will be
testing and adjustment of 4 fundamental communicative functions with students for Chapter 4
provisionally titled ¨Fusiones culturales/Cultural Fusions. From December 2026- February 2027,
PI will write Afro-cultural materials. There will be testing and adjustment of 4 fundamental
communicative functions with students for Chapter 4 provisionally titled ¨Nuestra Sociedad/Our
Society.” Lastly, we will have our final exam of Students
Phase 3 Technology and Travel February 2027-June 2027
From February 1st to April 1st PI and collaborators will polish, organize and didactic material for
online upload. From June 1st to June 30th, PI takes trip to Colombia with research participants to
strengthen collaboration with student and staff in the UTCH Department of Modern Languages,
immerse participants in the language and obtain afro-cultural audiovisual content that
corresponds with chapter themes and communicative functions; and accompany student in their
language learning activities.
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