Dé Bryant, Ph.D., was honored with The History Museum’s 2024 African American Legacy Award at their Juneteenth Luncheon on Tuesday, June 11. A professor of psychology at IU South Bend, Dé Bryant, Ph.D., is a community psychologist and leader of social justice initiatives, with over 30 years of bringing together individuals with diverse mindsets to facilitate equity and empowerment. She is the founder and director of the Social Action Project (SOCACT), which is dedicated to understanding the deep roots of how justice is betrayed by society and using the healing power of the arts to restore the balance. Dr. Bryant is a healer, an activist, and an academic affectionately known as “Rasheeda” (wise woman) by members of her healing circle.

At IU South Bend, Dr. Bryant has taught courses in social justice, trauma-informed psychology, and interfaith activism. She has built platforms to increase public discourse such as the Public Intellectuals forums on the life of Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray. She has also pioneered ways to extend teaching beyond textbooks and into communities, earning Indiana University’s highest teaching award (The FACET) and the highest award for linking teaching-research-community building (The Lundquist Award).

Dr. Bryant’s experience building community and fostering difficult conversations has taken her to Nigeria, South Africa, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, and Haiti. In 2023 she was invited to the Cumbre por la Paz (Peace Summit) in Mexico City, along with other members, as a co-founder of Black Lives Matter-South Bend.

Her current work includes the Ubuntu Spirit project using storytelling to overcome trauma, an initiative of the Social Action Project. She is part of the nascent Grupo de Trabajo Afrodescendients, a working group on mental health awareness and alternative medicines among Afro-Latin peoples.

Dr. Bryant’s experience building community and fostering difficult conversations has taken her to Nigeria, South Africa, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, and Haiti. In 2023 she was invited to the Cumbre por la Paz (Peace Summit) in Mexico City, as a co-founder of Black Lives Matter-South Bend.

A specially appointed committee composed of community leaders and chaired by History Museum board member Marvin Curtis, Ed.D., selected Dr. Bryant as the award recipient from several nominations from the community. The African American Legacy Award is presented annually by The History Museum to celebrate the immeasurable contributions of members of the African American community in the St. Joseph River Valley, to honor the legacies and achievements of past generations, to shine a light on those in the present, and to influence efforts that will impact the future.

To be eligible for the African American Legacy Award, an individual:

Nominees are welcome year-round.