The African American Cultural Center welcomed Andaiye Qaasim as assistant director on August 31, 2021.

Qaasim holds a Ph.D. in the anthropology of music from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts from Spelman College. She comes to us from Green River College in Washington state, where she worked in international programs, collaborating on several DEI and student engagement initiatives on campus. She has diverse experience in international education, arts and culture nonprofits, education advocacy and DEI consulting.

When starting at NC State, she remarked, “I was drawn to the expansive vision of the African American Cultural Center at NC State University. In my own work, I am influenced by Robin D.G. Kelley’s framing of the Black radical imagination. I believe in embodying the work of the imagination to create expansive futures alongside our students and colleagues. I’m passionate about building those bridges across campus, within our community and across the globe.” As Kelley said ‘Without new visions, we don’t know what to build, only what to knock down. We not only end up confused, rudderless and cynical, but we forget that making a revolution is not a series of clever maneuvers and tactics, but a process that can and must transform us.’

“I embrace the transformative potential within our institutions and look forward to building new visions with my NC State family.”

Qaasim will collaborate on several of the center’s signature events and programs, such as the Harambee! campus celebration, Black History Month, Intergenerational Conversations and the Black Research Symposium.