Meet AFS major Lloyd Simpson

Meet African American studies major, Lloyd Simpson. He is a current junior at Wayne State University and researcher for the McNair Scholars Program. 

Simpson became an AFS major because of his interest in black studies and desire to create change and gain experience. He is most interested in protest, leftist and Marxism movements, such as the Black Panther Party, League of Revolutionary and Old Left.

Although Simpson is enthusiastic about his future in AFS, he still faces struggles. “A common challenge as an African American studies major is constantly not being taken serious and being told 'You can’t do anything with this degree.' There is such a negative connotation towards this major. I personally don’t do it for the money, I do it because I’m passionate about black studies and liberation. I’m deeply influenced by the socialist ideology. Making money isn’t important to me; impacting and changing the world and how it thinks is more important to me than any amount of money I could make doing something that doesn’t make me happy.”

His advice, “...network as much as possible and learn as much as you can. Prepare for how demanding but rewarding it is.” 

Impacting and changing the world and how it thinks is more important to me than any amount of money I could make doing something that doesn’t make me happy.

Tips for future African American Studies majors 

"The best way to succeed and excel is to find a way to connect to the material, also opening your mind to various different ways of life. Having an open mind helps a lot when it comes to open discussion.

“African American studies is such a great major for me because it challenges me every day to test my beliefs, morals and how I view the world and the people within society. It keeps me sharp and also open to new solutions to the issues we face in today’s world.”

Lloyd plans to go on to graduate school and pursue a Ph.D. in African American Studies or American history.