The Institute for Research on the African Diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean (IRADAC) was founded to address the African presence in the Americas through scholarly research and public programs for the betterment of the public as well as the academic community. The institute's mission is to foster understanding and critical interpretation of the history, development, conditions, status and
cultures of the diverse peoples of African descent living in the various societies of the Western Hemisphere. The Institute's primary focus on the black experience in Canada and the United States, Central and South America, and the Caribbean does not preclude any region of the African Diaspora from the scope of its multidisciplinary scholarship and public programs. As a component of our mission, IRADAC will develop and facilitate the creation of a community of independent scholars at the Graduate Center interested in the study of the African Diaspora. In addition, the Institute will inform and influence the formulation of public and academic policy, particularly with respect to education, through its research initiatives, and public programs.
