Diversity Commitment

My scholarship and teaching are grounded in a sustained commitment to racial justice, equity, and critical engagement with systems of power. Whether examining the histories and contributions of Black classical musicians or curating course materials, I approach my work with an intentional focus on meaningful inclusion. Students have shared that my classes are among the most diverse they have encountered, drawing together perspectives across academic levels, geographic regions, and international contexts. In the classroom, I engage the intersecting dimensions of race, class, gender, sexuality, nationality, and (dis)ability, encouraging students to critically examine the multiple narratives that shape American life and to see how these perspectives inform the interdisciplinary study of culture, politics, and history

Course Design

In designing my syllabi, I intentionally incorporate a wide range of voices so that students can engage with cross-cultural and transnational intellectual and activist contributions to a topic. I often pair foundational theoretical texts with pieces of contemporary media, allowing students with different learning styles to grasp key concepts while also developing their media literacy. For example, pairing Roderick Ferguson’s Aberrations in Black (2003) with the television series Pose (2018) has helped students arrive in class prepared for lively discussions about the perpetuation of normative gender and racial orders.

Across my courses, I draw from scholars based both within and beyond the United States, writers from minoritized communities, intellectuals with diverse gender and sexual identities, and activists engaged in a range of struggles. This approach moves beyond a neoliberal multiculturalist framework, instead drawing meaningful connections between intellectual genealogies and challenging the borders and boundaries that capitalism encodes in our thinking.

I also work to pair canonical texts with contemporary reinterpretations, enabling students to see how multiple perspectives can be placed in dialogue. By integrating a variety of media forms—music, art, dance, poetry, social media, and other creative platforms—I emphasize that intellectual work is not confined to the academy, but also thrives in so-called “non-academic” spaces.

Classroom Practices/Pedagogical Approach

In my classroom, I strive to create a safe and supportive environment where students from diverse backgrounds and with varied learning needs can thrive. Class participation takes multiple forms—small group discussions, written reflections, collaborative assignments, debates, and interactive activities such as live digital quizzes—ensuring that students with different communication and learning styles have meaningful ways to contribute. In discussions, I encourage students to draw on their empirical knowledge, thus valuing what each individual brings to the classroom and opening space for rich cross-cultural exchange. I also connect course content to current events and cultural references that resonate with students, incorporating materials like TikToks, social media posts, memes, GIFs, and music videos. This approach grounds challenging theories and concepts in familiar media, helping students see how academic ideas apply across multiple contexts.

Feedback and Accessibility

I design my courses to be flexible and responsive to the varied strengths, access needs, and circumstances of my students. Final assignments can take multiple forms—such as creative projects, podcasts, or traditional papers—allowing students to choose the format that best suits their skills and interests. Early in the term, I incorporate low-stakes assessments to help students build confidence and familiarity with course expectations before moving to higher-stakes work. My feedback affirms the value of students’ perspectives while also challenging them to refine their arguments and deepen their analysis. To ensure accessibility, I schedule office hours at varied times and offer virtual meeting options. I also check in periodically about the classroom climate through anonymous surveys, adjusting as needed so that all students feel supported in their learning.

Scholarship

These teaching practices mirror my scholarly commitments, particularly in my approach to citation and knowledge production. I intentionally avoid citing scholars who have caused harm to the communities they study, instead supporting the work of Christen Smith and others involved in the #CiteBlackWomen movement. I center my research around Black feminist thinkers and writers, recognizing Black feminism as a political commitment that benefits people of all racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. I also engage deeply with queer of color critique—drawing on the work of scholars such as Roderick Ferguson, Gayatri Gopinath, and Jafari S. Allen—which illuminates how race, class, sexuality, and gender are intertwined, offering crucial language for analyzing the world. In addition, I practice citational solidarity by citing scholars from minoritized backgrounds different from my own, including the work of Audra Simpson, Grace Wang, Mari Yoshihara, and others whose contributions have profoundly enriched the academy.

Service

My experiences as a Black classical musician, researcher, and mentor who has regularly grappled with color-blind racism, not only ground my ethnographic research but also my service to underrepresented students in academia. Working with the Association of Black Anthropologists (ABA) has given me insight into how Black scholars can find creative and essential ways to support underserved communities. I have planned multiple events for Black and other minoritized students, including the “Demystifying the Post-Doctoral Experience” event, where ABA students engaged with rising scholars in anthropology. When the ABA planning committee organized the “Anthropology and the Black Experience” conference, we ensured that students from continental Africa received funding to ensure their participation, and curated panels that represented the vast diversity of the Black diaspora and Black anthropology.