Overview
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would attend graduate school at an Ivy League University. In August 2018, I was given that chance, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to refine my historical skills. It informed my desire to make an impactful contribution to African American history and fueled my interest in being a conduit to share my historical knowledge acquired within academia with the broader public.
I was born and raised in Palestine, Arkansas, a small rural town in the Delta. A place rich in Southern oral histories, the Delta ignited my love for African American history. I began my academic journey at Arkansas State University—Jonesboro (A-State), and earned my Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in African American Studies and a Master of Arts in History. While in graduate school at A-State, I wrote my thesis on the early lineage of the Black education tradition, Freedman’s Schools, to the founding of Rosenwald Schools in the twentieth century. I was recognized in July 2018 for my dedication and hard work when I received the John A. Galloway Graduate Award for my historical scholarship. This recognition and my academic achievements paved the way for me to continue my graduate studies at Cornell University.
Being in the history doctoral program at Cornell University has afforded me the opportunity to broaden my scholarly repertoire. Engaging in courses and works examining Black feminism, notably the Combahee River Collective Statement (1977) and Left of Karl Marx: The Political Life of Black Communist Claudia Jones (2008), inspired the direction for my dissertation, which investigates Black women’s civil rights activism through the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 1935 to 1970 in Arkansas and Tennessee.
My work unearths forgotten Black women activists and NAACP members who shaped the trajectory of the civil rights movement in rural and urban African American communities. My analysis broadens previous historical contexts by centering the intersections of localized gendered agencies, economic disparities, and space utilization. Using their bodies as carriers of community knowledge, Black women NAACP activists in Arkansas and Tennessee cultivated their environments to secure their personal and activist objectives.
Aside from my research, I love meeting new people and forging connections. I also enjoy spending quality time with my family, friends, and fellow Nichiren Buddhists.
Dissertation Committee: Edward E. Baptist, Carole Boyce-Davies, Derek Chang