My research and academic pursuits are anchored in critical pedagogy, Black feminist thought, decolonial scholarship and critical race theory. I am committed to antiracist principles and actions and to exerting what influence I have to create a more just and equitable world. 

​

M.Ed. Equity and Cultural Diversity

James Madison University

• Thesis: the first formal study of the Furious Flower Poetry Center, the nation's premier academic center for Black poets

• Member, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society

• 4.0 GPA

​

B.A. English with a minor in philosophy

California State University Fullerton

• Honors student

​

Ongoing research and scholarship​

• The most urgent endeavor in 2020 for the Campus History Committee was to make recommendations for renaming JMU buildings bearing names of persons associated with racist ideologies and practices. We produced an influential report, Reclaiming, Renaming, Repairing: The Campus History Committee Report, which contributed to new names on three buildings. 

• JMU's Task Force for Racial Equity advises JMU's president and administration with regard to issues of racial equity, receives and provides feedback on information related to current and planned initiatives, and generates additional recommendations for the short, medium, and long term. The working group I co-chair strives to foster greater understanding of JMU's racial equity efforts and results. We are exploring communication best practices and potential partnerships with neighboring communities to enhance access to information. This builds on past work, seeks to assess and improve current communication, and champions a welcoming and inclusive environment. We are working to strategize messaging about JMU’s commitment to, and work for, racial equity — and how the university contributes to greater societal change — by focusing on collaboration, as well as striving toward systemic solutions and making outcome-oriented recommendations.

​

​