AI and The African Diaspora Book Club (2025-26 Theme: Black Women In AI) Johnson C. Smith University Honors Program
NPR‘s UP FIRST Podcast “Higher Education’s AI Problem”(11/23/25)
I was honored to be a part of this national discussion with other higher education administrators, faculty, and computer scientists to discus how AI is re-shaping how we teach.
🎧Listen: https://lnkd.in/eNmwsaR3
Time stamps: Dr. Clement (12:55-15:55) & 22:49
🌟 “AI and the African Diaspora: HBCU Faculty Prepare a Pipeline of Responsible AI Curators and Practitioners” 🌟 (September 26, 2025)
WE MADE THE NEWS! Dr. Leslie Nicole Clement (African Diaspora Studies) and Dr. Felesia Stukes (Computer Science), University Honors Program (UHP) faculty at Johnson C. Smith University, presented at NC A&T’s two-day AI Conference in Greensboro, NC. We discussed our newly co-constructed course “AI and the African Diaspora” taught across two HBCU’s (JCSU & NCCU) as well as unpacked how artificial intelligence impacts global Black communities. Dr. Clement emphasized how HBCU voices must take the lead in ensuring that AI is inclusive, equitable and representative of African Diasporic Intersectional Identities. Our goal is to shape the next generation of responsible AI curators and practitioners who will push for fairness, inclusion, and equity in tech.
Full Story Here: https://www.wxii12.com/article/greensboro-ncat-artificial-intelligence-equity-hbcu-professors-racial-bias-conference/68051551
VIRTUAL “BLACK WOMEN IN AI” BOOK CLUB:
JCSU Honors Scholars at the Forefront of AI Equity (August 2025)
JCSU’s Honors Program Director, Dr. Leslie Clement and 11 Honors Scholars travelled to North Carolina Central University in Durham to attend the Open AI Summit: HBCUs Leading the Future” hosted by Dr. Siobahn Grady, the Director of NCCU’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Research. OpenAI gifted students 7-day Enterprise licenses and provided free interactive workshops.
This experience directly connects to JCSU’s new course, RHC 131: AI and the African Diaspora, as well as our Honors Virtual AI Book Club, where this year’s theme is Black Women in AI.
By engaging in both classroom learning and national events like this summit, JCSU Honors Scholars are preparing to lead the future of AI with cultural grounding, equity and innovation!
An HBCU Collaboration (JCSU & NCCU) with NC Department of Administration (DOA)
Launching Fall 2025 at Johnson C. Smith University and North Carolina Central, this course explores artificial intelligence through a humanities lens rooted in the African diaspora—reshaping how the future is coded.
📖 Read the article: https://lnkd.in/eAmmAkTY
New “Artificial Intelligence and African Diaspora” course at Johnson C. Smith University
👩🏽💻 HUMANITIES + DATA SCIENCE 👩🏽💻Honored to have served on a panelist moderated by Dr. Felesia Stukes, Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU’s) first Black data scientist, to discuss how HBCUs can use AI tools to preserve Black history as well as the importance of fostering interdisciplinary collaborations!
The Student Poster Sessions from the AUC Data Science Initiative, Morehouse College, Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, and Bowie State University were innovative and impressive!! These universities are truly building the next generation of data scientists! Invest in HBCU Excellence!
🖼️ Digital Equity as 21st Century Civil Rights Work📝 REGISTER Today Speaker Bios
JUNETEENTH (Durham): Join Us for this AI Panel
Sponsored by the North Carolina Department of Administration MLK, Jr. Commission
Hosted by: North Carolina Central University
🗓️ Save the date (6/19/25) 12:00-2:00pm
“ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE and the AFRICAN DIASPORA” (Fall 2025)
EXCITING NEWS!! Dr. Leslie Clement (formerly Gutierrez), Dr. Felesia Stukes and Dr. Charles Johnson were awarded a $20,000 grant from the National Humanities Center (NHC) in February of 2024 to develop a co-constructed, team-taught, interdisciplinary course entitled African Diaspora and AI, across two North Carolina HBCU campuses (JCSU & NCCU) that will launch during the 2025-26 academic school year.
- Their course brings computer science and the humanities, with specific reference to the African Diaspora, into a conversation about how to create more inclusive AI tools and culturally sensitive AI practitioners.
I was selected to participate in the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot entitled “AI Unlocked Empowering Higher Ed through Research and Discovery” in Denver, Colorado in April 2025. “The primary goal of this workshop is to connect U.S. based higher education affiliates with valuable information and resources to deepen their understanding of how to leverage AI in their current work, while also equipping participants with the skills necessary to advance their careers and achieve their specific professional objectives (NAIRR Pilot website).”
I. Academic Collaborative Presentations [paper presentation]
1. “HBCU Faculty Prepare a Pipeline of Responsible AI Curators and Practitioners,” AI For All Open Education Summit, Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee (June 2024)
Faculty-student mentorship: Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) Honors Program senior, Traykiese Gillentine (2025), who is an IDS major with concentrations in computer science Information technology and engineering, co-presented on why he chose to study technology through an humanistic lens.
2.“Responsible AI, Data Science, and Cross-Curricular, Inter-institutional Partnerships, HBCU STEM & Humanities Summers Institute, Howard University, Washington, D.C. August 2024 [panel presentation]
3. “The Implications of Artificial Intelligence Across Africa and the African Diaspora,” a virtual generative dialogue entitled “Bridging Pan-Africanism and Academic Leadership,” December 2024.
IV. Article Written About Our Course “African Diaspora and AI” (click the link below)
https://www.nccu.edu/news/artificial-intelligence-and-african-diaspora-meet-course
