The UConn Africana Studies Institute presents the

Summer Institute to Advance Equity through Research on Women and Girls of Color

August 4-9, 2024
University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut

About the Summer Institute

Scholars in many disciplines are grappling with how to advance equity through research on women and girls of color. They often strive to learn from those working outside of academia, to benefit from the insights of groups and organizations, and to give back to communities rather than extract from them. Unfortunately, relevant methods and research strategies are not yet widely taught at institutions of higher learning or sufficiently valued in the academy.

Writing a book or applying for a grant is also becoming an increasingly common expectation and, in some cases, a requirement for tenure and promotion at most universities and colleges. Publishing is a time consuming and not always intuitive process. The skills needed to complete a book manuscript, grant proposal, or fellowship application with a good chance of success are usually taught informally and by a mentor. Considerable research shows that improving equitable access to norms, soft skills, and informal knowledge via professional development programs and mentoring relationships are effective ways of improving parity in career trajectories.

To address this need, the Africana Studies Institute at UConn has launched the 2024 Africana Studies Summer Institute to Advance Equity through Research on Women and Girls of Color. It is intended for faculty at any stage of their careers who wish to advance equity through research on women and girls of color.

Participants will have designated writing time to work on their research projects, to meet individually and collectively in break-out sessions, as well as interact with guest speakers. Participants will also be taught techniques for making the writing experience more productive and less stressful with guided support from an external expert.

During the Summer Institute, Africana Studies Institute fellows will:

  1. Explore interdisciplinary methods for research and writing;
  2. Relate the significance of their research to a broader audience;
  3. Network with scholars across disciplines; and
  4. Develop a workplan for grants and dissemination of research.

Convener

Dr. Evelyn M. Simien

Director
UConn Africana Studies Institute

Keynote Speakers

Dr. Khalilah Brown-Dean

Khalilah Brown-Dean

University Professor and Executive Director of the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life

Wesleyan University

Dr. Deirdre Cooper Owens

Deirdre Cooper Owens in Black and White Dress

Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies

University of Connecticut

Presenters

Dr. Roxanne A. Donovan

Roxanne A. Donovan

Kennesaw State University

Dr. Evelyn Simien

Evelyn M. Simien

University of Connecticut

Dr. Shayla Nunnally

Dr. Shayla Nunnaly

University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Dr. Lorrie Frasure

Dr. Lorrie Frasure

University of California, Los Angeles

Dr. Fiona Vernal

University of Connecticut

Dr. Sakeena Everett

Dr. Sakeena Everett

University of Connecticut

Dr. Milagros Castillo-Montoya

Dr. Milagros Castillo-Montoya

University of Connecticut

Dr. Nadia Brown

Dr. Nadia Brown

Georgetown University

Dr. Loneke Blackman Carr

Dr. Loneke Blackman Carr

University of Connecticut

Ms. Shawnda Chapman

Ms. Shawnda Chapman

Ms. Foundation for Women

Dr. Marketa Burnett

University of Connecticut

Dr. Sukhmani Singh

University of Connecticut

Dr. Christina Ross

Dr. Christina Ross

University of Connecticut

Recommended Excursion for Early Arrivals

  • The Wadsworth Atheneum, America’s oldest museum located at 600 Main Street in Hartford, is showcasing an exhibit, Styling Identities: Hair’s Tangled Histories, that features a diverse array of voices and experiences around the theme of hair.  On view are artifacts from Africa and the Diaspora and a host of interactive pieces that take advantage of the latest technologies. The exhibition is on view until August 11, 2024. For more information, including the introductory video, a virtual tour, and in person tours, click here. The museum is open Thursday–Sunday, from noon–5pm. Admission is free to UConn-credentialed individuals and $20 for others.

Location and Venue

  • The Graduate Hotel is set right on the University of Connecticut campus and an easy walk to the best spots in Storrs, our hotel is the perfect home base for any conference. Guest rooms are dressed in classic plaids and Connecticut motifs, celebrating local traditions and the region’s history. In the lobby, our 30-foot communal table invites friendly conversation. Settle in with a coffee or cocktail.
  • Hotel parking is included and permits may be obtained at the front desk.
  • 855 Bolton Road, Storrs CT 06269
  • The Summer Institute will be held in Susan V. Herbst Hall (formerly Oak Hall) in Room 408, at 363 Mansfield Rd. Storrs Mansfield, CT. 06269. Herbst is a short and scenic, 10 minute walk across campus from the Hotel.

Meals

  • Breakfast, lunch, and coffee breaks (with snacks) will be provided in Herbst Hall, Room 408 from Mon-Thurs for the duration of the Institute.
  • Dinners will be held in the Graduate Hotel's Samuel Pickering Room from Mon-Thurs for the duration of the Institute. 
  • The Farewell Breakfast (with keynote speaker) will be held in the Graduate Hotel's Samuel Pickering Room on Friday morning from 8am-10am. 

What to Bring

  • Nice casual attire for the Summer time weather, and comfortable shoes for walking on campus
  • An umbrella for inclement weather, sweater, jacket, or shawl—it can get a bit cold in Herbst Hall
  • Notebooks and pens for reflections and notes throughout the day
  • Any daily and emergency medications
  • Yourself! We’re happy to have you!

Shuttle Service

  • Shuttle service will be provided from the Graduate Hotel-Storrs to Susan Herbst Hall for Institute Fellows, in the mornings and at the end of the business day for participants who need it per request, as the University requires a list of names.  

2024 Institute Fellows

Stephany Santos
Dr. Stephany Santos | UConn

Dr. Alexandra Garr-Schultz
Dr. Alexandra Garr-Schultz | UConn

Melissa Brown
Dr. Melisa Brown | Santa Clara University

Dr. Whitney McCoy
Dr. Whitney McCoy |  Duke University

Dr. Leslie K Morrow
Dr. Leslie K Morrow | Ohio State University

Dr. Dionne Davis
Dr. Dionne Davis | Texas State University

Dr. Fanta Waterman
Dr. Fanta Waterman |  University of Illinois

Dr. Elaine Richardson
Dr. Elaine Richardson | Ohio State University

 

Dr. Jen Turner |  University of Maryland

Dr. Jamil Scott
Dr. Jamil Scott | Georgetown University

Dr. Françoise Cromer
Dr. Françoise Cromer | Saint Elizabeth University

Dr. Vera Lopez
Dr. Vera Lopez | Arizona State University

Danielle Perry
Dr. Danielle Perry | NYU

Dr. Stefanie Chambers
Dr. Stefanie Chambers | Trinity College

 

AJ Keaton
Dr. AJ Keaton | UMass-Amherst

Dr. Charlotte Teague
Dr. Charlotte Teague | Alabama A&M University

Dr. Sherri V. Cummings
Dr. Sherri V Cummings | Rhode Island College

Sakeena Everett
Dr. Sakeena Everett | University of Connecticut

Christina Ross
Dr. Christina Ross | University of Connecticut

Sukhmani Singh
Dr. Sukhmani Singh | University of Connecticut

loneke blackman
Dr. Loneke Blackman Carr | University of Connecticut

Nadia Brown
Dr. Nadia Brown | Georgetown University

Marketa Burnett
Dr. Marketa Burnett | University of Connecticut

Recommended Summer Institute Reading List

Two black women sitting on a table writing notes.

 

 

  • Bailey, Moya. and Shannon Miller. 2015. When Margins Become Centered: Black Queer Women in Front and Outside of the Classroom. Feminist Formations, 27 (3), 168-188. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/ff.2016.0005.

 

  • Barreto, M. A., Frasure-Yokley, L., Vargas, E. D., & Wong, J. (2018). Best practices in collecting online data with Asian, Black, Latino, and White respondents: evidence from the 2016 Collaborative Multiracial Post-election Survey. Politics, Groups, and Identities, 6(1), 171–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/21565503.2017.1419433

 

 

  • Castillo-Montoya, M., Hunter, T., Moore, W. C., & Sulé, T. 2022. Why the Caged Bird Sings in the Academy: A Decolonial Collaborative Autoethnography of African American and Puerto Rican Faculty and Staff in Higher Education. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 15(5), 668–680. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000395 

 

  • Dowe, Pearl. 2020. Resisting Marginalization: Black Women’s Political Ambition and Agency. PS: Political Science & Politics. 53(4):697-702. DOI:  doi:10.1017/S1049096520000554

 

  • Frasure-Yokley, Lorrie, Janelle Wong, Edward Vargas, and Matt Barreto. 2020. “The Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Survey (CMPS): Building the Academic Pipeline Through Data Access, Publication, and Networking Opportunities.” PS: Political Science & Politics 53(1): 150–51. DOI: 10.1017/S1049096519001185.

 

 

 

 

  • Mitchell, Koritha. 2018. "Identifying White Mediocrity and Know-Your-Place Aggression: A Form of Self-Care." African American Review 51, no. 4: 253-262. https://doi.org/10.1353/afa.2018.0045.

 

  • Rose, R. E., Singh, S., Berezin, M. N., & Javdani, S. 2024. "Roses have thorns for a reason": The promises and perils of critical youth participatory research with system-impacted girls of Color. American journal of community psychology, 73(1-2), 144–158. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12651

 

  • Ross, Christina, Kools, S., Laughlan, K., 2020. “It was only me against the world.” Female African American Adolescents’ perspectives on their sexual and reproductive health learning and experiences while in foster care: Implications for positive youth development. Children and Youth Services Review, Volume 118, 105463. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105463.

 

 

  • Simien, E. M., Hayes, T. J., & Conway, C. 2024. The Democratic Majority and the 2016 American Presidential Election: Feminist Political Behavior Across Multiple Axes of Identity. Political Research Quarterly, 77(1), 371-385. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/10659129231213014 

 

  • Simien, E. M. 2022. The 2018 Congressional Midterms, Symbolic Empowerment, and Ayanna Pressley’s Mobilizing Effect: A Case Study for Future Analysis of Historic Firsts. Journal of Women, Politics & Policy, 43(3), 279–296. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1554477X.2022.2074758 

     

    • Smith, Christen, Erica L. Williams, Imani Wadud, and Whitney N. Laster Pirtle. 2021. Cite Black Women: A Critical Praxis (A Statement). Feminist Anthropology 2(1):10-17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/fea2.12040

     

     

    To access the readings themselves, please check your email for a link to the Readings Drive. We highly recommend selecting those readings that most closely align with your research interests, chosen theme or topic.

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