Commitment to
Excellence
As a Southern Black descendant of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, I intentionally center Black women and girls in my scholarship. Black women are the primary demographic obtaining and sustaining higher education, homes, and families within Black communities. Across peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, co-edited volumes, public scholarship, and a host of invited and refereed presentations, my scholarly agenda primarily examines three key areas:
workplace bullying, career development, retention, and supervision concerns
social class and wealth resource hoarding disparities and their impact on higher education access, completion, and employment
the nexus of education and health, with a specific focus on HIV/AIDS, stress, and cancer
My areas of inquiry reflect my investments and impact in creating and facilitating community among Black people, illuminating how under and disinvestment impede Black people’s growth and wellness, and centering joy and the sustainability of oneself and community despite the odds.
The following entities have funded this work:
and Funded
Trusted
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‘If you are silent about your pain, they‘ll kill you and say you enjoyed it.” —Zora Neale Hurston
As a Black feminist scholar, being personally accountable, showing researcher responsibility (Dillard, 2000), and engaging with an ethic of care (Collins, 1990) is integral to my scholarly research practices. In all of my studies, those centering Black women and otherwise, I work to maintain the highest ethical and moral standards, to be accountable for how I frame and (re)share people’s stories and experiences, and to tread carefully with the privileges bestowed upon me as a meaning maker in academic research.
I cannot commit to always getting this right; I can commit to doing my best to do so. Accordingly, I know that I am responsible not only to the people who agree to be a part of my research, but also to the communities and families from which they and I come. I do not and will not, ever, purport to be neutral in my scholarly agenda and research practices, as it is important now, more than ever, to do right by the realities of the people before me. I am grateful to every participant, past and present, mentor, and scholar-friend who will read, correct, and challenge me on my work. I am better for it. The field is better for it. And doing so will help me to maintain my researcher’s responsibility.
Scholarly
Devotions
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Philosophy & Praxis
Teaching
I approach my teaching from a high-challenge, high-support model wherein learning progress, development, and growth are more important than correctness and perfection. As a student once relegated to the margins of the classroom, I use my classrooms as inclusive learning environments where my students come to understand that we are first all experts in our own experiences. From there, students are encouraged to enter my courses prepared to engage and become more informed members of the university, community, and world.
My classrooms operate as spaces where
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Development and learning processes are subjective and ever-changing to promote constant
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Consistent reconceptualization of the world around us requires a strong awareness of core content, social contexts, and
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Organizational skills to succeed in today’s educational, professional, and political landscape(s) are honed.
My current teaching evaluation average is 4.9/5, and I use my teaching approaches to help students better understand their professional roles and identities, thereby rooting my philosophy in my sense of duty to improve the cultural, social, and professional competence of the next generation of leaders.
