Farah Jasmine Griffin named University Professor
Farah Jasmine Griffin, ICLS Affiliate and William B. Ransford Professor of English and Comparative Literature and of African American Studies, received the appointment to University Professor.
The following is the announcement shared today by Acting President Claire Shipman.
| Dear members of the Columbia community,I am honored to announce that Farah Jasmine Griffin, the William B. Ransford Professor of English and Comparative Literature and of African American Studies, has been appointed University Professor—the highest academic distinction Columbia confers on our own faculty.
Professor Griffin is a scholar of rare breadth and clarity whose powerful examinations of the Black experience in this country span the fields of literature, music, history, and politics. As the inaugural chair of Columbia’s Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies, she played a pivotal role in shaping the direction and elevating the stature of one of the University’s most distinguished and dynamic intellectual communities. She is also a beloved professor and mentor who has guided generations of students in reading, thinking, and imagining with care and purpose. Educated at Harvard, where she earned a B.A. in History and Literature, and at Yale, where she completed her Ph.D. in American Studies, Professor Griffin is the author or editor of eight books. Her early books offered powerful new readings of African American cultural and political life, with a particular focus on migration, memory, and the lives of Black women artists. Her most recent, Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature, weaves memoir, cultural criticism, and history into a resonant exploration of literature and Black life, inviting readers into the rich traditions of Black thought and artistry and illuminating the creative forces that have shaped American culture across generations. Professor Griffin has also extended her scholarship into the world of performance, particularly through her deep engagement with jazz and the legacy of Black women in music. In collaboration with the late composer and pianist Geri Allen, she wrote and staged two musical works celebrating the legacy of Black women in jazz. These performances, brought to life at the Apollo Theater, Harlem Stage, and the Kennedy Center, reflect her commitment to making knowledge public, resonant, and alive. A 2021 Guggenheim Fellow and Mellon Foundation Scholar in Residence, Professor Griffin is widely recognized not only for her academic achievements, but also for the integrity and imagination with which she approaches her work. She reminds us that literature and art are not luxuries—they are vital tools for understanding the past, connecting across difference, and making meaning of the world we share. As Provost Angela Olinto observed, Professor Griffin “is a visionary and pioneering scholar and an outstanding member of our Columbia community. Her work has impacted multiple fields and areas of focus and exemplifies the sort of pathbreaking, interdisciplinary scholarship that we seek to honor in our University Professors.” This recognition reflects not only the scope of Professor Griffin’s influence, but also the depth of her contributions to Columbia’s intellectual life. Please join me in congratulating her on this deeply deserved honor. Sincerely, Claire Shipman |
