“Black”, as it relates to the notion of “race” is a loaded identifying term that most people understand to mean people of African descent. However, there has been quite a bit of confusion and controversy over the term, when it should be used, and who it describes. In this class, Dr. Taylor will give a historical overview of how “Black” became what it is today, analyze Omi & Winant’s theory of racial formation, offer an Afrocentric approach to understanding “race” (and “culture”), and lead a discussion about the discourse around what it means, globally, in the 21st century.