Black studies programs are evolving as a powerful tool for the advancement of African Americans, social theorist and black feminist Patricia Hill Collins told about 200 students and faculty at Harris Hall on Thursday evening.

“There is a new acceptance for black studies and a new-found visibility,” Collins said.

She has written several books on black social theory and now studies race, gender, social class and sexuality at the University of Maryland. The lecture, titled “Emancipatory Knowledge – An Oxymoron? The Case of Contemporary U.S. Black Studies” was the annual Allison Davis Lecture.

The core question that has shaped the African-American experience, Collins told audience members, is: “What will it take for black people to be free?”

Different generations have found different answers, but higher education is the most effective site to address this struggle, she said. Despite the different ideologies of black groups such as Integrationists, Black Nationalists, Black Radicals and Black Feminists, they all stress the importance and centrality of education, Collins said. Her latest book, 2006’s “From Black Power to Hip Hop,” delves into the changing movements of American black nationalism and black feminism.

“The struggle for education is central to black political life,” she said.

Black studies scholars have the responsibility to benefit their communities by learning and passing on knowledge about black history, Collins said. She stressed the importance of knowledge as a gift for future generations, calling this concept “intellectual activism.”

“Think about who your education is for – for you, or for more than you,” she said.

To be intellectually active, academics must study the past and find falsehoods in the historical record, Collins said. Students are not learning a complete history of the African-American experience, but a simplified and often false version, she said, and this type of learning is a disservice to both black and white students.

She said that while a handful of black studies programs are thriving, other programs leave much to be desired by students. Many programs are underdeveloped and lack resources, she said.

“Students who are really thirsty for black studies cannot get it,” Collins said.

Graduate students said the provocative nature of Collins’ discussion was valuable.

“I thought she did a good job of balancing potentially controversial material without compromising her points,” said Brian Sargent, a sociology graduate student.

Graduate student Armando Millan said he thought the lecture was rushed.

“Due to pressures of time constraint, she tended to digress from her main argument,” Millan said.

The annual Allison Davis Lecture is presented by Northwestern’s Department of African American Studies. The program honors Allison Davis, the first black academic to be granted tenure at a major university in 1949.

Reach Rachel Kopilow at [email protected].