The year of his graduation, Turner entered Northwestern University as a graduate student in the African Studies program. While a student there, he was involved in student-activism, and led the Black graduate student association. In that role he was involved in protests for the establishment of a Black Studies program, including a 1968 sit-in of the university bursar department. This advocacy raised his profile to the national level, and he traveled around the country.[1] Turner received a master's degree from Northwestern.[2]
While Turner was leading the ASRC, the center was burnt down,[2] by what Turner alleged was arson.[4] At Cornell, Turner wrote papers about his view of how Black Studies should be approached, a concept he termed "Africana", which the Encyclopedia of African-American Politics defined as "an interdisciplinary Pan African approach to blackness focusing on the US, the Caribbean and Africa." He also studied Black nationalism and politics in the US and Africa.[1]
^ abcdeSmith, Robert (2021-05-01). "Turner, James". Encyclopedia of African-American Politics, Third Edition. Infobase Holdings, Inc. p. 596. ISBN978-1-4381-9939-9.