The Social Change Semester just ended, and Emily and I have moved up to Dharamsala, India, the home of the Dalai Lama and a perfect place to write and reflect. Soon, we will head back to Doha, where I will be teaching two courses: one on India and the United States, and the other on the history of sustainable social change. I’m excited!

Emily and I are in Sevagram, India, living across the street from Mahatma Gandhi’s last ashram. We are here as part of the social change semester. Along with ten CMU undergraduates, we are working with the Kamalnayan Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation on a variety of rural development projects. We spent today with a group of women who have created a collaborative to empower themselves and their village. We learned so much from these women, from their fierce creativity, from their joy.

Greetings from Doha, Qatar! Emily and I are here with ten CMU undergrads on the first Carnegie Mellon Social Change Semester in Qatar and India. In Doha, we are teaching English to migrant workers and are learning from them about Qatar, South Asia, and the inequalities of travel. This Thursday, we leave for India, where we will be living at Mahatma Gandhi’s last ashram and partnering with a large rural development organization. You can follow our journey at socialchangesemester.org

Black Power Beyond Borders has just been released! With chapters on the global dimensions of Black Power in India, Africa, Israel, and New Zealand, as well as on the global imagination of Black Power activists within the United States, this edited volume contributes to our understanding of one of the most important transnational social movements in the twentieth century. I hope you love the cover as much as I do!

Emily and I are gearing up for the first Carnegie Mellon Social Change Semester. In January, we will be traveling to Qatar and India with ten CMU undergraduates. You can read more here.

I hope you have a wonderful end to 2012 and a beautiful beginning to 2013!

Greetings from Pittsburgh! I was married here a few weeks ago and feel even more connected to the city. The Arts Greenhouse is in full swing. Plans for the first CMU Semester in India are moving forward. In six months, we should be living in Mahatma Gandhi’s last ashram, doing our best to contribute to his legacy. Life is good.

Nico Slate

slate@cmu.edu / 240 Baker Hall / Carnegie Mellon University / 5000 Forbes Avenue / Pittsburgh, PA 15213 / 412-268-1408