People

  1. Department Head
  2. Faculty
  3. Emeritus Professors
  4. Affiliate Faculty
  5. Staff
  6. Graduate Students
  7. Recent Graduates
  8. Academic Advisor

Department Head

Cynthia A. Young

  • Department Head, African American Studies
  • Associate Professor of African American Studies, English, and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Email: cay9@psu.edu

Faculty

W. Oliver Baker

  • Assistant Professor of English and African American Studies

Email: wxb5140@psu.edu

Ray Block

  • Associate Professor of Political Science and African American Studies

Phone: (814) 863-7660

Email: rjb6233@psu.edu

Jim Casey

  • Assistant Research Professor of African American Studies

Email: jzc6406@psu.edu

Ebony Coletu

  • Assistant Professor of African American Studies, English, and African Studies

Phone: (814) 863-2343

Email: euc179@psu.edu

Amira Rose Davis

  • Assistant Professor of History, African American Studies, and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Email: ard51@psu.edu

J. Marlena Edwards

  • Assistant Professor of African American Studies, History, and African Studies

Phone: (814) 865-8719

Email: jue328@psu.edu

Gabrielle Foreman

  • Paterno Family Professor of American Literature and Professor of African American Studies and History

Email: pgf5052@psu.edu

Keith Gilyard

  • Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of English and African American Studies
  • Director of Graduate Studies

Phone: (814) 865-9123

Email: rkg3@psu.edu

Jennifer Hamer

  • Professor of African American Studies and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
  • Senior Faculty Mentor, Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity

Email: JenniferHamer@psu.edu

Christina Haynes

  • Associate Research Professor of African American Studies

Email: csh5401@psu.edu

Abraham Khan

  • Assistant Professor of African American Studies and Communication Arts and Sciences

Phone: (814) 863-8966

Email: axk418@psu.edu

Alex Lubin

  • Professor of African American Studies
  • Interim Director of Undergraduate Studies

Phone: (814) 865-7114

Email: alubin@psu.edu

David Marriott

  • Professor of Philosophy and African American Studies
  • Spring 2021-Interim Director of Graduate Studies

Email: dsm5581@psu.edu

AnneMarie Mingo

  • Assistant Professor of African American Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Phone: (814) 867-5954

Email: axm583@psu.edu

Shirley Moody-Turner

  • Associate Professor of English and African American Studies

Phone: (814) 863-9584

Email: scm18@psu.edu

Linette Park

  • Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow of African American Studies

Email: lqp5334@psu.edu

Candis Smith

  • Laurence and Lynne Brown-McCourtney Early Career Professor in the McCourtney Institute and Associate Professor of Political Science and African American Studies

Phone: (814) 863-8978

Email: cws5853@psu.edu

Sam Tenorio

  • Assistant Professor of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and African American Studies

Phone: (814) 865-5888

Email: sut508@psu.edu

Darryl Thomas

  • Associate Professor of African American Studies

Phone: (814) 863-2427

Email: dct10@psu.edu

Timeka Tounsel

  • Assistant Professor of African American Studies and Media Studies

Phone: (814) 865-9496

Email: tnt14@psu.edu

Niki vonLockette

  • Associate Professor of Public Policy and African American Studies

Phone: (814) 865-5672

Email: ntd10@psu.edu

Dara Walker

  • Assistant Professor of African American Studies and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Phone: (814) 865-5005

Email: duw482@psu.edu

Michael West

  • Professor of African American Studies, History, and African Studies

Phone: (814) 865-6873

Email: mow5397@psu.edu

Emeritus Professors

Vincent Colapietro

  • Liberal Arts Research Professor of Philosophy and African American Studies

Phone: (814) 865-1618

Email: vxc5@psu.edu

David McBride

  • Professor of African American Studies and African American History

Email: dqm9@psu.edu

Nan Elizabeth Woodruff

  • Professor of African American Studies and Modern U.S. History

Email: new7@psu.edu

Affiliate Faculty

Kathryn Belle

  • Associate Professor of Philosophy and African American Study

Phone: (814) 865-1652

Email: kathrynbelle@psu.edu

Robert Bernasconi

  • Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Philosophy and African American Studies

Phone: (814) 865-6398

Email: rlb43@psu.edu

B. Stephen Carpenter II

  • Professor of Art Education and African American Studies

Phone: (814) 863-7314

Email: bsc5@psu.edu

Justin De Senso

  • Assistant Teaching Professor of English and African American Studies
  • Penn State Berks

Phone: (610) 396-6378

Email: jxd367@psu.edu

Emily Grosholz

  • Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Philosophy, English, and African American Studies

Phone: (814) 865-1676

Email: erg2@psu.edu

Joshua Inwood

  • Associate Professor of Geography and African American Studies
  • Senior Research Associate in the Rock Ethics Institute

Phone: (814) 865-3433

Email: jfi6@psu.edu

Royel Montel Johnson

  • Assistant Professor of Education and African American Studies

Email: rmj19@psu.edu

Gary King

  • Professor of Biobehavioral Health and African American Studies

Phone: (814) 863-8184

Email: gxk14@psu.edu

Wanda Knight

  • Associate Professor of Art Education, African American Studies, and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Email: wbk10@psu.edu

Zachary R. Morgan

  • Associate Professor of History and African American Studies

Phone: (814) 863-8080

Email: zzm20@psu.edu

Jeanine Staples

  • Associate Professor of Education (LLED) and African American Studies

Phone: (814) 867-2734

Email: jms1098@psu.edu

Kirt H. Wilson

  • Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences and African American Studies

Phone: (814) 865-1985

Email: khw2@psu.edu

Staff

Jacqueline Cauley

  • Administrative Support Coordinator

Email: jmc671@psu.edu

Melissa Hummel

  • Administrative Coordinator

Phone: (814) 863-4243

Email: mjc7030@psu.edu

Ashley Scott

  • Administrative Support Assistant

Phone: (814) 863-4243

Email: ams87@psu.edu

Johey Verfaille

  • Events Coordinator

Phone: (814) 867-4561

Email: juv12@psu.edu

Jamie Whitehead

  • Undergraduate and Graduate Staff Assistant

Phone: (814) 863-4243

Email: jle1@psu.edu

Graduate Students

Jeremy Adams

  • Ph.D. Candidate – Philosophy and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: jma41@psu.edu

Akash Belsare

  • Ph.D. Candidate – English and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: ayb121@psu.edu

D'Angelo Bridges

  • Ph.D. Candidate – English and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: dab496@psu.edu

Tiesha Cassel

  • Ph.D. Candidate - Philosophy and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: tac47@psu.edu

Kevin Cedeño-Pacheco

  • Ph.D. Candidate – Philosophy and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: kzc192@psu.edu

Jerome Clark

  • Ph.D. Candidate – Philosophy and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: jac865@psu.edu

Richard Daily

  • Ph.D. Candidate – History and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: rdd25@psu.edu

Andrew Domzal

  • Ph.D. Candidate-Philosophy and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: asd5500@psu.edu

Brandon Erby

  • Ph.D. Candidate – English and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: bue114@psu.edu

Sabrina Evans

  • Ph.D. Candidate – English and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: sle33@psu.edu

Gabriel Green

  • Ph.D. Candidate – English and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: gkg5081@psu.edu

Michael Hicks

  • Ph.D. Candidate – History and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: muh301@psu.edu

Brooke Judie

  • Ph.D. Candidate-Philosophy and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: bzj39@psu.edu

Ashley Lamarre

  • Ph.D. Candidate – Philosophy and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: ajl500@psu.edu

ShaVonte Mills

  • Ph.D. Candidate – History and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: skm5577@psu.edu

Justin Smith

  • Ph.D. Candidate – English and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: jas1377@psu.edu

Tyler Sperrazza

  • Ph.D. Student – History and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: txs392@psu.edu

Bailey Thomas

  • Ph.D. Candidate – Philosophy and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: kxt96@psu.edu

Katie Warczak

  • Ph.D. Candidate – English and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: kaw64@psu.edu

Recent Graduates

Jazmine Amanda Alexander

  • Graduating Class: December 2015
  • Major: Economics
  • Minor: African American Studies

Mariatu Bah

  • Graduating Class: December 2016
  • Major: Health Policy and Administration
  • Minor: African American Studies

Michael Banerjee

  • Graduating Class: May 2016
  • Majors: Criminology and African American Studies

Maya Blue-Robinson

  • Graduating Class: May 2016
  • Major: Advertising and Public Relations with a concentration in Advertising
  • Minor: African American Studies

Whitney Brown

  • Graduating Class: May 2017
  • Major: Legal Studies, Government Service, Public Policy Option
  • Minor: African American Studies

Morgan Burton

  • Graduating Class: May 2017
  • Major: Business Management with a focus in Human Resources
  • Minor: African American Studies

Elizabeth Catchmark

  • Graduating Class: May 2017
  • Majors: African American Studies, English, Philosophy, and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Miya Crosby

  • Graduating Class: May 2016
  • Major: African American Studies, Asian Studies, Comparative Literature, Global and International Studies
  • Minor: English, Korean

Taylor Elliott

  • Graduating Class: December 2015
  • Major: African American Studies
  • Minor: Communications Art and Sciences

Alphonso Grant

  • Ph.D. – Art Education and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: awg136@psu.edu

Kerrie G. Green, Jr.

  • Graduating Class: May, 2016
  • Major: African American Studies
  • Minor: Sociology

Kenyah Jordan-Jackson

  • Graduating Class: May 2016
  • Major: Broadcast Journalism
  • Minor: African American Studies

Tykia McWilliams

  • Graduating Class: May 2016
  • Major: Public Relations
  • Minor: African American Studies

Mudiwa Pettus

  • Ph.D.– English and African American and Diaspora Studies

Email: mmp258@psu.edu

Samantha Reid

  • Graduating Class: May 2016
  • Major: Secondary Social Studies Education
  • Minors: African American Studies, History

Adenike "Nikky" Samuel

  • Graduating Class: May 2017
  • Majors: Broadcast Journalism
  • Minors: African American Studies, Business L.A.

Brisa Marie Smith Flores

  • Graduating Class: May 2016
  • Majors: Art History, Global and International Studies, and History
  • Minors: African American Studies, Latin American Studies

Christian James Tabron

  • Graduating Class: May 2016
  • Majors: African American Studies and Criminology
  • Minor: Sociology

Academic Advisor

Kristie Kalvin

  • Undergraduate Advisor for African American Studies

Phone: (814) 865-5588

Email: klk16@psu.edu