Welcome to my professional page! I work as an Assistant Professor in the English Department at Spelman College. My academic and research interests include death and mourning in African American culture, African American Working-Class culture, African American Contemplative Practices, and the life, work, and representations of Martin Luther King, Jr.
I serve as a South-View Cemetery Historic Foundation Board Member. South-View Cemetery was founded in 1886 by six formerly enslaved men who wanted to ensure a dignified burial and funeral experience for African Americans. South-View has a rich cultural history and marks many major historical events in the city. The cemetery was the first burial site for Martin Luther King, Jr. After his body was moved to Auburn Avenue in 1970. Martin Luther King, Sr. and his wife, Alberta Williams King now occupy their son's former crypt. South-View is also the final resting place for many of those killed during the 1906 riots; George Union Wilder being one of them. South-View is the final resting place for many others dedicated to racial uplift, desegregation, and the dignity of black American life. Among their number includes Bishop Henry McNeal Turner, John Wesley Dobbs, Alonzo F. Herndon, Geneva Haugabrooks, and the Whitman Sisters (Mable, Essie, Alberta, and Alice). I am personally interested in the many unmarked graves of some of the victims of the Atlanta Child Murders and the orphans who once lived at the Leonard Street Orphanage.
I serve as a South-View Cemetery Historic Foundation Board Member. South-View Cemetery was founded in 1886 by six formerly enslaved men who wanted to ensure a dignified burial and funeral experience for African Americans. South-View has a rich cultural history and marks many major historical events in the city. The cemetery was the first burial site for Martin Luther King, Jr. After his body was moved to Auburn Avenue in 1970. Martin Luther King, Sr. and his wife, Alberta Williams King now occupy their son's former crypt. South-View is also the final resting place for many of those killed during the 1906 riots; George Union Wilder being one of them. South-View is the final resting place for many others dedicated to racial uplift, desegregation, and the dignity of black American life. Among their number includes Bishop Henry McNeal Turner, John Wesley Dobbs, Alonzo F. Herndon, Geneva Haugabrooks, and the Whitman Sisters (Mable, Essie, Alberta, and Alice). I am personally interested in the many unmarked graves of some of the victims of the Atlanta Child Murders and the orphans who once lived at the Leonard Street Orphanage.
Recently, I have started researching The Leonard Street Orphanage and its transition to Families First. The Leonard Street Orphanage was once located on property adjoining Spelman College. In 1935, the work at Leonard Street was discontinued and the work of caring for children shifted to what we currently call foster care. For 125-years, Families First has continued the legacy of caring for children and supporting families across Georgia.