Scholar.
I am a sociologist with research and teaching expertise in race, gender, Black history and politics, applied statistics, and qualitative methods.
I earned my Ph.D in sociology with a concentration in race and gender from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Currently, I am a Senior Researcher at Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C.
For a full list of my writing and recorded interviews, click the "My Academic Resume" button below.
I earned my Ph.D in sociology with a concentration in race and gender from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Currently, I am a Senior Researcher at Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C.
For a full list of my writing and recorded interviews, click the "My Academic Resume" button below.
"Not Just Jezebel" Republished
My short report, "Not Just Jezebel: Black Women, Nikki Minaj and Sexualized Imagery in Rap Music" is entering its 4th printing in the Race/Gender/Class anthology at Routledge. The new edition will be published in early 2026.
Documented by the editor as one of the most assigned readings by textbook adopters, the report features a grounded theory analysis of the lyrics of popular early 21st century rap songs.
The findings suggest that hip hop constructs Black women through a sexualized yet nuanced male gaze that runs counter to historical media representations of Black women as Jezebels. I also pay close attention to the song lyrics and videos of Nicki Minaj; an important case study that also complicates the Jezebel image.
Documented by the editor as one of the most assigned readings by textbook adopters, the report features a grounded theory analysis of the lyrics of popular early 21st century rap songs.
The findings suggest that hip hop constructs Black women through a sexualized yet nuanced male gaze that runs counter to historical media representations of Black women as Jezebels. I also pay close attention to the song lyrics and videos of Nicki Minaj; an important case study that also complicates the Jezebel image.
George Floyd, Black Lives Matter and Race
In this report, my colleagues and I take a look back at 5 years of public opinion data on race, policing and Black Lives Matter in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder.
Read the data essay here and listen to me discuss the report on Minnesota Public Radio.
Read the data essay here and listen to me discuss the report on Minnesota Public Radio.
Black Electoral Politics
In the run-up to the 2024 election, I wrote a series of reports on Black voters, their political affiliation and their views on Biden, Harris, Trump and Kennedy. Read each of them at the links below.
Black Americans and Trust in Institutions
In this report, I explore what Black people believe about U.S. institutions and how they impact their progress in society. I take a look at Black people's trust in the criminal justice, economic, political and health care systems as well as their trust in media.
Read the findings here, along with its companion report on how Black people define success.
Read the findings here, along with its companion report on how Black people define success.
Black Americans, Feminism and Gender Identity
In this report, my academic research and my work at Pew finally merged. I pulled together data from 4 existing Pew Research Center studies to examine how Black Americans view gender equality, feminism and gender identity.
Read the findings here and see national coverage of the report at CNN.
Read the findings here and see national coverage of the report at CNN.
Black Progress and Politics
Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to understand the nuances among Black people on issues of racial inequality and social change in the United States. This in-depth survey explores differences among Black Americans in their views on the social status of the Black population in the U.S.; their assessments of racial inequality; their visions for institutional and social change; and their outlook on the chances that these improvements will be made.
The analysis is the latest in the Center’s series of in-depth surveys of public opinion among Black Americans.
Read the findings here and see national coverage of the survey at the New York Times, CNN, USA Today and BET.
The analysis is the latest in the Center’s series of in-depth surveys of public opinion among Black Americans.
Read the findings here and see national coverage of the survey at the New York Times, CNN, USA Today and BET.
Black Americans and Identity
Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to understand the rich diversity of Black people in the United States and their views of Black identity. This in-depth, robust online survey of 3,912 Black U.S. adults explores differences among them in views of identity such as between U.S.-born Black people and Black immigrants; Black people living in different regions of the country; and between Black people of different ethnicities, political party affiliations, ages and income levels.
Read the findings here and see national coverage of the survey at the Washington Post, CNN, The Hill and Essence. Click below to listen to me and Perri Small discuss the report on Midday Madness on WVON Chicago 1690.
Read the findings here and see national coverage of the survey at the Washington Post, CNN, The Hill and Essence. Click below to listen to me and Perri Small discuss the report on Midday Madness on WVON Chicago 1690.
Faith Among Black Americans
This groundbreaking study is Pew Research Center’s most comprehensive, in-depth attempt to explore religion among Black Americans. Its centerpiece is a nationally representative survey of 8,660 Black adults (ages 18 and older), featuring questions designed to examine Black religious experiences.
Read the findings here and and watch my co-author Besheer Mohamed and I discuss the report with a panel of experts here.
Read the findings here and and watch my co-author Besheer Mohamed and I discuss the report with a panel of experts here.
PREVIOUS RESEARCH
Incomplete Intersectionality?
Gender in 21st Century Black Organizations
In this study, I analyzed the ways that leaders of Black social justice organizations used gendered collective action frames to interpret and present solutions for social problems that affect Black people.
My mixed methodology featured semi-structured interviews with 35 leaders of local, regional, and national Black organizations, as well as textual analysis of the mission statements, programs, and press releases of 34 national Black organizations.
Key findings indicated that leaders of 21st century Black organizations deploy intersectional viewpoints which acknowledge the multiple layers of inequality that Black women face. However, they still frame them as less severe than those Black men face. They also do not view the inequality that Black LGBTQ people experience as equivalent to other types of racial inequality that Black people endure.
This study serves as the basis of my book project, which puts these findings in conversation with the history of androcentric anti-racist Black social movements.
This research is the winner of the 2013 JoAnn Gibson Robinson Award from the Association for the Study of Black Women in Politics and the 2015 David P. Street Dissertation Prize in Engaged Sociology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. It was funded through the University of Illinois Provost's Award for Graduate Research (2010-2011) and the University of Illinois at Chicago's Bucher Memorial Award for Qualitative Studies in Social Process (2011-2012).
This book project is on hold while I conduct research at Pew Research Center.
My mixed methodology featured semi-structured interviews with 35 leaders of local, regional, and national Black organizations, as well as textual analysis of the mission statements, programs, and press releases of 34 national Black organizations.
Key findings indicated that leaders of 21st century Black organizations deploy intersectional viewpoints which acknowledge the multiple layers of inequality that Black women face. However, they still frame them as less severe than those Black men face. They also do not view the inequality that Black LGBTQ people experience as equivalent to other types of racial inequality that Black people endure.
This study serves as the basis of my book project, which puts these findings in conversation with the history of androcentric anti-racist Black social movements.
This research is the winner of the 2013 JoAnn Gibson Robinson Award from the Association for the Study of Black Women in Politics and the 2015 David P. Street Dissertation Prize in Engaged Sociology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. It was funded through the University of Illinois Provost's Award for Graduate Research (2010-2011) and the University of Illinois at Chicago's Bucher Memorial Award for Qualitative Studies in Social Process (2011-2012).
This book project is on hold while I conduct research at Pew Research Center.