Black Women Talk Politics

Tiffany Willoughby-Herard is Professor of Global and International Studies at the University of California, Irvine, and Professor Extraordinarius in the Chief Albert Luthuli Research Chair at the University of South Africa. She is the author of Waste of a White Skin: The Carnegie Corporation and the Racial Logic of White Vulnerability. Lisa Beard is Associate Professor of Political Science at Western Washington University. They are the author of If We Were Kin: Race, Identification, and Intimate Political Appeals. LaShonda R. Carter is Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies at Riverside City College. Nikol G. Alexander-Floyd is Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. She is the author of Re-Imagining Black Women: A Critique of Post-Feminist and Post-Racial Melodrama in Culture and Politics. Jessica Millward is Associate Professor of History and Core Faculty in African American Studies at the University of California, Irvine. She is the author of Finding Charity's Folk: Enslaved and Free Black Women in Maryland.

• In Memoria "Writing Topics That Are to Their Heart and to Their Struggles": Pauline Manaka on Teaching Students to Trust Their Questions Tiffany Willoughby-Herard "What Happens When Black Women Have the Agency to Tell Their Own Stories?": A Memorial for Ella Turenne Tiffany Willoughby-Herard Introduction I'm Trusting You with My Story, Now: Using Oral History to Measure Impact, and Modeling Dignified, Respectful, and Rigorous Engagement with Black Women and Gender Nonbinary Scholars of PoliticsJessica Millward I. Prayers of Invocation 1. A Different Drummer: Jewel Prestage and the Founding of the Association for the Study of Black Women in Politics Nikol G. Alexander-Floyd2. Seeding a Vision: The Scandal Conference and the UC Consortium for Black Studies in California Aisha K. Finch 3. Changing Black Feminist Intellectual Life on Campus: The Black (Feminist) Thriving Chair Jessica Millward 4. Spirit, Soul, and Love: "I'm Rooting for Everybody Black" Anand Bertrand Commissiong II. "Ain't Nothing Gonna Happen Unless I Decide... I Choose": Voting Rights, Elections, and Legislatures 5. Profile of Nadia E. Brown: Simultaneously Hyper-Visible and Invisible: Becoming a Black Feminist Political Scientist Christine M. Slaughter Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Jessica Millward Selected Publications 6. Profile of Angela Lewis-Maddox: "Getting a Seat at the Table": On Providing Advocacy, Visibility, and Equity for Black Women in Academia Jordan Lynton Cox Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Tiffany Willoughby-Herard Selected Publications 7. Profile of Wendy Smooth: "I Had to Make My Own Path": The Discipline-Defying Work of Wendy G. Smooth, PhD Mahaliah A. Little, Latoya Williams Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Lisa Beard Selected Publications 8. Profile of Lisa Nikol Nealy: Straight Outta Mississippi: The Unapologetic, Transformative, and Audacious Influence of Lisa Nikol Nealy, PhD Tiffani J. Smith Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Nikol G. Alexander-Floyd Selected Publications III: "Every Decision I Make Will Be My Own": Reproductive Justice, Sexuality, Black Health, and Wellbeing 9. Profile of Kimala Price: Teaching, Politics and Change: The Scholarship of Dr. Kimala Price Mzilikazi Koné Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Lisa Beard Selected Publications 10. Profile of Valeria Sinclair-Chapman: Dr. Valeria Sinclair-Chapman: Understanding the Significance of "True Representation" Armand Demirchyan Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Tiffany Willoughby-Herard Selected Publications 11. Profile of Tonya Williams: Dr. Tonya Williams: Excavating the Intersection of Reproductive Justice and the Political Labor of Black Women r eliot rae, Afiya Browne Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Lisa BeardSelected Publications 12. Profile of Françoise B. Cromer: Saving Our Mothers' Bodies: Making the Lives of Black Women Matter: an Intellectual Biography of Françoise B. Cromer, PhD Elizabeth Gowans, Cheryl Flores Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Lisa Beard Selected Publications IV. "To Come Through unto Life to Be": Fighting State Violence and Bearing Public History 13. Profile of Melina R. Abdullah: "Be Our Full Selves": An Intellectual Biography of Womanist Scholar Activist Melina R. Abdullah, PhD Onyekachi EkeoguNote from the Archive and Discussion Questions Nikol G. Alexander-Floyd Selected Publications 14. Profile of Tiffany Packer: Scholarly Activism: Concerning the State and the Africana Lived Experience—An Intellectual Biography of Tiffany Packer, PhD Deanrea Sykes Jr., Anandi Rao Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Jessica Millward Selected Publications 15. Profile of Kaaryn Gustafson: The Embodiment of Resistance: An Intellectual Biography of Kaaryn Gustafson Matthew Dale, Damiyr Davis Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions LaShonda R. CarterSelected Publications 16. Profile of Sharon D. Wright Austin: Intellectual Biography of Sharon D. Wright Austin Melissa Harris Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Jessica Millward Selected Publications V. "My Name Is Peaches": Vernacular Worlds: Storytelling and Poetics, Music, and Aesthetics 17. Profile of Victoria Burnett: The Power of Embodied Activity in an Age of Impact Factor: A Biography of Master Storyteller, Folklorist, and Vocal Artist Victoria Burnett, MEd Caroline Collins Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Lisa Beard18. Profile of Natalia Molebatsi: Tuning Into Radio Silence: Natalia Molebatsi and Poetry's Power Nyla Jones, Santos Roman Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Jessica Millward Selected Publications 19. Profile of Malaika Mutere: Communicating the Oral-Aesthetic Perspective in Black Popular Music: An Intellectual Biography of Malaika Mutere, PhD Rachael De La Cruz Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Nikol G. Alexander-Floyd Selected Publications 20. Profile of De Anna Reese: The Power of Sister Scholarship in the Academy and Beyond: Exploring De Anna Reese's History of Black Women's Politics Jordan Ashlee McCray, Jerome Dent Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Tiffany Willoughby-Herard Selected Publications 21. Profile of Lisa Anderson: Undisciplined Stagings: Black Women's Studies, Theater, Semiotics, and Representation— An Intellectual Biography of Dr. Lisa Anderson DeAndré Augustus, Hafsa Mohamed/Xafsa Ciise Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Nikol G. Alexander-Floyd Selected Publications 22. Profile of Lakeyta Bonnette-Bailey: Culture First: An Intellectual Biography of Lakeyta Bonnette-Bailey Chasia Elzina Jeffries Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Tiffany Willoughby-Herard Selected Publications VI. "Living Just Enough": Urban Studies / Spatial Meaning / Where We Do Our Work 23. Profile of Lilith Mahmud: She "Studies-Up": Objectifying Europe, Whiteness, and Regimes of Secrecy and Transparency Mackala Lacy Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Nikol G. Alexander-Floyd Selected Publications 24. Profile of Zenzele Isoke: The Black Feminist Political Storytelling Revolution of Dr. Zenzele Isoke Gabriela G. Corona Valencia Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Tiffany Willoughby-Herard Selected Publications VII. "Tears for Johannesburg": Violence / Re-Memory / History of Ideas 25. Profile of Evelyn M. Simien: "I'm a Social Scientist. That's the Hat I Wear": An Intellectual Biography of Political Scientist Dr. Evelyn M. Simien LaShonda R. Carter Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Tiffany Willoughby-Herard Selected Publications 26. Profile of Duchess Harris: Continuing the Journey to Connect Past, Present, and Future Generations of African American Daughters: The Works of Duchess Harris, JD, PhD Gina M. Newton Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Tiffany Willoughby-Herard Selected Publications 27. Profile of Francille Rusan Wilson: Singing Songs from the Past: An Intellectual Biography of "Searching Spirit and Skeptical Mind," Francille Rusan Wilson, PhD George Anthony Pratt, Jaz Riley Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Lisa Beard Selected Publications 28. Profile of Kathryn Sophia Belle: "A Moral and Deeply Personal Obligation": The Scholarship of Kathryn Sophia Belle Lisa Beard Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions LaShonda R. Carter Selected Publications 29. Profile of Linda Perkins: The Scholarship of Linda Perkins: Race, Class, and Gender at Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Nineteenth- to Twentieth-Century US Christina Carney Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Nikol G. Alexander-FloydSelected Publications VIII. "Peace Has Come to Zimbabwe": Internationalism and Anti-Imperialism 30. Profile of Cynthia Young: Developing a Praxis of Activist Scholarship: An Intellectual Biography of Cynthia Young, PhD Yelena Bailey Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Tiffany Willoughby-Herard Selected Publications 31. Profile of Gladys Mitchell-Walthour: Despite the Risks Involved: The Scholarship of Gladys Mitchell-Walthour Kat CosbyNote from the Archive and Discussion Questions LaShonda R. Carter Selected Publications32. Profile of Tiffany Willoughby-Herard: South Africa Is Not So Far Away: Black Women and the Politics of Knowledge Production— Intellectual Biography of Tiffany Willoughby-Herard, PhD Annie Hikido Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Lisa Beard Selected Publications 33. Profile of Shelby Faye Lewis: Making the Change Come: Dr. Shelby Faye Lewis's Transformative Career Althea Rani Sircar, Genesis Lara Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Tiffany Willoughby-Herard Selected Publications 34. Profile of Kathie Stromile Golden: "The Walking Lady": The Peripatetics of Activism and Engaged Scholarship— An Intellectual Biography of Kathie Stromile Golden, PhD Desireé R. Melonas, Johan Mosquera Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions LaShonda R. Carter Selected Publications IX. "Crashing Slowly, the Bugs Are in Me": What Is the Gender of Black Women's Studies? What Are We Fighting For? 35. Profile of Julia Jordan-Zachery: "How Are You Giving Away the Knowledge You Now Have?": Dr. Julia Jordan-Zachery and the Politics of Pedagogy Rolda L. DarlingtonNote from the Archive and Discussion Questions LaShonda R. Carter Selected Publications 36. Profile of Nikol G. Alexander-Floyd: She Is the Bridge Between Generations: An Intellectual Biography of Nikol G. Alexander-Floyd, JD, PHD Françoise B. Cromer, Tommi Hayes Note from the Archive and Discussion Questions Jessica Millward Selected Publications Conclusions "Yonder They Do Not Love Your Flesh": Mourning, Anti-Blackness, and Claiming All of Us Jessica Millward, Sabrina Strings, Tiffany Willoughby-Herard, and Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, prepared by Tariq E. Edwards Portal Work as Liberation Work: Let's Walk Through Desireé R. Melonas A View from the Conference Photos Darlisa Ali Conference Art Mackala Lacy Epilogues "We Take Higher Education into Our Own Hands and Build Something Else in Our Own Image": Interview with Nadia E. Brown Edited by Tiffany Willoughby-Herard and Lisa Beard, transcribed by India S. Lenear Standing at the Crossroads: A Meditation on the Myriad Manifestations of Gratitude Through the Scandal in Real Time Conference LaShonda R. Carter List of Contributors Index

"An important and timely volume that highlights the breadth and depth of Black women's and gender expansive scholars' contributions to political science. Black Women Talk Politics opens up possibilities and pathways for meaningful scholar-activism within and beyond the discipline and shows the generative potential of intentional, caring, well-crafted scholarly Black women's gatherings." — Robin L. Turner, Butler University"Black Women Talk Politics makes a significant contribution—one that is both long overdue and remarkably forward-looking. Political science has often struggled to take seriously the lived experiences and intellectual labor of scholars from marginalized communities. Oral history, when used at all, has typically centered elite voices and reinforced disciplinary gatekeeping. Here, oral history is more than a methodological choice—it's a subversive intervention! By elevating storytelling, memory, and mentorship to the level of formal scholarship, the volume challenges dominant narratives about what counts as knowledge in the discipline. It models citation justice, archival care, and collaborative authorship as scholarly practices. It is ambitious in both content and form. It doesn't just profile individual scholars; it creates a living archive. It teaches. It remembers. It passes down knowledge across generations. And it does so while offering readers—especially students and early-career scholars—a model for how to do political science differently: with care, rigor, and a deep commitment to community." — Ray Block Jr., coauthor of Black Networks Matter: The Role of Interracial Contact and Social Media in the 2020 Black Lives Matter Protests"This book is for every single Black woman and BIPOC scholar who has encountered anything less than love in higher education. More than the documentation of an event or individual careers, Black Women Talk Politics is a world-building blueprint that demonstrates the necessity and radical impact of community care, truth-telling, and feminist praxis. Methodologically sophisticated and conceptually original, it upholds a sociality that will make it possible for more Black women, femmes, and queer and non-binary folx to build power through community. I expect many will follow this movement." — Ruth Nicole Brown, author of Hear Our Truths: The Creative Potential of Black Girlhood