African and African-American Studies is an interdisciplinary program that was started in 1990. Euginia Herbert was chair of the program for the first year 1990/91, and Satya Gabriel chaired the program the next year, 1991/92 until 1994/95. The purpose of the program is to study and analyze the origins and experiences of people of African descent. The program spans a wide range of fields in the humanities, social sciences, and performing arts.