Background
I am an interdisciplinary African American specialist from a mixed race background who focuses on how members of the Black diaspora construct conceptions of Blackness, race, and empire throughout their experiences in the Pacific. Much of this is informed through my training in African American Studies and Ethnic Studies, alongside my own upbringing and research in military contexts on the continent and in the Pacific. I use these various perspectives in the classroom, where I am committed to providing students with the space, knowledge, and critical discussion to challenge and develop their understanding of the world.
Education
- PhD, African American Studies, Northwestern University, 2017
Specializations
African American Studies, the Black Diaspora in East Asia, Comparative Black-Asian Relations, Mixed Race Studies, Militarism, Empire, and Visual Media Culture.
College Award
Research
My research interests include the Black Diaspora in Oceania, Black-Asian relations, mixed race studies, militarism, and visual culture. My research interests examine how oceanic constructions of race, militarism, and empire impact Blackness, belonging, culture, and community building. My work has been published in Streetnotes, Social Process in Hawaiʻi, Critical Ethnic Studies, and the Journal Committed to Social Change on Race and Ethnicity. In my current book project, I analyze how these dynamic constructions are historically and visually formed, challenged, and impacted through interactions between African American soldiers and Okinawan civilians. My photography projects include collaborative exhibits that analyze war, historical memory, and foodways.
Community Engagement
I currently serve as a committee member for the Honolulu African American Film Festival through the Doris Duke Theater. I am also a co-collaborator with Pau Hana Sessions, a creative collective of scholars and artists that provides a platform for emerging and established Hawai‘i-connected artists who engage with issues related to culture, history, place, and politics.