The Africana Studies program traces its roots to two courses offered in 1968: the Afro-American Family and Black History. Later, in 1968, a Black Studies program, leading to a minor in the area, was established. Dr. Charles Reynolds, of the Religious Studies Department, was named chairman of the program, and a student and faculty committee was formed to guide it. Courses from history, sociology, English, and other fields were added to the program.
In June 1971 Mr. Marvin Peek was appointed the first coordinator of Black Studies, a post he held until 1987. In 1979 the name of the program was changed to Afro-American Studies and later was changed again to reflect the increasing interest in African Studies and the study of those of African descent to African and African American Studies. Its transition to Africana Studies indicated that it was both cross-cultural and interdisciplinary.