Africana Studies alumna encourages change through community

February 13, 2024 – Geneva Sandoval

For over 50 years, the Department of Africana Studies has provided a foundation for students across all majors to understand the historical, political, and cultural impact across the Black Diaspora.

One alumna from the program, Mandisa Routheni, is a distinguished educator, scholar, and artist with a fervent commitment to fostering positive change and empowerment within the Black community.  

Routheni graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2015 with a double minor in Sociology and Peace & Justice Studies. As a student, she was a McNair Scholar, a member of the Ankh Maat Wedjau Honor Society, and a Truman Scholar Finalist. Her commitment to public service was also recognized with the Ella Baker Leadership & Service Award and the Sara Belle Brown Community Service Award. 

These achievements were the result of her passion for creating change through community to empower peoples of African descent and contribute to a people- and planet-first world. 

As an alumna, Routheni’s commitment to justice and peace has never wavered. She is a US News Opinion Contributor, the 2016 New Mexico Fellow for the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), and is an active member of the City of Albuquerque’s Office of Black Community Engagement’s Community Stakeholder Team, and Black Homeownership Initiative.  

She is also a member of the Home Circle Club (which is the oldest Black women’s club in New Mexico) and the Greater Albuquerque Assocation of Realtors. Routheni has also participated in the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s Affiliate Advisory Council, Friends of Africana Studies Advisory Team, Forward Together ‘s Echoing Ida cohort and the New Mexico Women of Color Nonprofit Leadership Initiative 

Routheni’s journey in education and scholarship began in her childhood, fueled by a deep-seated desire to make a positive impact on the world. Growing up in an interracial household in New Mexico during the ’90s and 2000s, she was exposed to the complexities of race and injustice from a young age.  

Her grandfather, Dr. James George Bradley, a civil rights advocate at UNM and beyond, played a pivotal role in shaping her worldview. Despite facing a debilitating disease that took his sight, Dr. Bradley earned a Ph.D. and continued his activism, becoming a source of inspiration for Routheni. 

After entering UNM, Routheni became heavily involved with the Community Engagement Center where she quickly realized her affinity for “the bigger picture” in community involvement. Despite all of this, she still felt that something was missing.  

Her experience as a McNair scholar helped create a pathway to discovering that Africana Studies was the missing component. “The McNair program did not fail in its objective; it actually gave me the space to find my true passion and area of study (Africana Studies) which led me down a different path.”

Read the full article here.