Our People

​Jean Allman

• J.H. Hexter Professor in the Humanities
• Professor of African and African-American Studies, History (Affiliate), and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (Affiliate)
• (On sabbatical '22-'23)

• E-mail: jallman@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-9599 (History); 314-935-5576 (Center for the Humanities)

Marlon M. Bailey

• Professor of African and African American Studies and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies

​​John Baugh

• Professor of Psychology, Anthropology, Education, English, Linguistics, and African and African-American Studies

• E-mail: jbaugh@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-5960

​Iver Bernstein​

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

• E-mail: icbernst@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-5401

​J. Dillon Brown

• Associate Professor of English

• E-mail: jdbrown@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-9241

Sheretta Butler-Barnes

• Associate Professor of Social Work

• E-mail: SBARNES22@WUSTL.EDU
• Phone: 314-935-8318

Kia Lilly Caldwell

• Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Diversity
• Professor of African & African American Studies Courtesy joint appointment at the Brown School of Social Work

• E-mail: c.kia@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-5068

Carol Camp Yeakey

• Professor of Education, Urban Studies, International and Area Studies, African and African American Studies, and American Culture Studies
• Founding Director of the Center on Urban Research & Public Policy and the Interdisciplinary Program in Urban Studies

• E-mail: cyeakey@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-6241

Rudolph Clay

• Head of Library Diversity Initiatives & Outreach
• Senior Lecturer in African-American Studies AFAS Subject Librarian

• E-mail: rudolphc@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-5059

Adrienne Davis

• William M. Van Cleve Professor of Law
• Vice Provost of the University

• E-mail: adriennedavis@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-8583

Ashley Dennis

• Postdoctoral Fellow, AFAS

El Hadji Samba Amadou Diallo

• Lecturer in African and African-American Studies

• E-mail: ediallo@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-8741

​Gerald Early

• ​Merle Kling Professor of Modern Letters
• Interim Director of the Center for the Study of Race
• Professor of English and of African and African-American Studies

• E-mail: glearly@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-4008

Lauren Eldridge Stewart

• Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology
• (On sabbatical '22-'23)

• E-mail: leldridgestewart@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-5581

Rowhea Elmesky

• Director of Graduate Studies
• Associate Professor of Education

• E-mail: relmesky@wustl.edu

Jonathan​ Fenderson

• ​Associate Professor of African and African-American Studies

• E-mail: jfender@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-8739

Karma Frierson

• ​Assistant Professor of African and African-American Studies

• E-mail: karma.frierson@wustl.edu

Ron Himes

• Henry E. Hampton, Jr. Artist-in-Residence
• PAD Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Working Group

• E-mail: RHimes@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-3347

David Kirkman

• Artist-in-Residence

Esther Viola Kurtz

• Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology

• E-mail: ekurtz@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-5581

Hedwig Lee

• Visiting Professor of Sociology
• Director of Undergraduate Studies Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, & Equity

• E-mail: hedwig.lee@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-2762

Stephanie Li

• Lynne Cooper Harvey Distinguished Professor of English

• E-mail: stephanie.li@wustl.edu

Zachary Manditch-Prottas

• Lecturer in African and African American Studies and American Culture Studies

• E-mail: zmanditch-prottas@wustl.edu

Raven Maragh-Lloyd

• Assistant Professor of African and African American Studies and Film and Media Studies
• (On sabbatical '22-'23)

• E-mail: lloydr@wustl.edu

William J. Maxwell

• Professor of English and of African and African-American Studies
• (On sabbatical '22-'23)

• E-mail: wmaxwell@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-5579

Robin McDowell

• Assistant Professor of African & African American Studies

• E-mail: r.mcdowell@wustl.edu

John Mundell

• Postdoctoral Fellow, AFAS

Sowande’​ Mustakeem

• ​Associate Professor of History and of African and African-American Studies

• E-mail: mustakee@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-3442

​Mungai Mutonya

• Teaching Professor in African and African-American Studies
• Kenya Summer Program Coordinator

• E-mail: mmutonya@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-5280

​Shanti Parikh

• Chair of African and African-American Studies
• Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology and of African and African-American Studies

• E-mail: shanti.parikh@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-8755

​Timothy Parsons

• ​Professor of History and of African and African-American Studies

• E-mail: tparsons@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-4974

Gabriel Peoples

• Ford Foundation Fellow
• Assistant Professor, Gender Studies, Indiana University

Michelle Purdy

• Associate Professor of Education
• Director of the Undergraduate Program in Educational Studies Affiliate Faculty, African and African-American Studies & Urban Studies

• E-mail: mpurdy@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-8724

Kelly Schmidt

• Postdoctoral Research Associate, WashU & Slavery Project

• E-mail: kschmidt@wustl.edu

Samuel Shearer

• Assistant Professor of African and African American Studies
• Faculty of Urban Humanities (On sabbatical '22-'23)

• E-mail: sshearer@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-8740

Vetta Thompson

• E. Desmond Lee Professor of Racial and Ethnic Diversity
• Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

• E-mail: VTHOMPSON22@WUSTL.EDU
• Phone: 314-935-3432

​Wilmetta Toliver-Diallo​

• ​Assistant Dean in the College of Arts & Sciences
• Senior Lecturer in African and African-American Studies Director of the Senegal Summer Program Coordinator of the Washington University African Film Festival

• E-mail: toliver-diallo@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-7879

Rebecca Wanzo

• Chair and Professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
• Affiliate Professor of American Culture Studies

• E-mail: rwanzo@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-5172

Geoff Ward

• Professor of African and African-American Studies
• Faculty Affiliate in Sociology and American Culture Studies Director, WashU & Slavery Project, Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity (CRE2)

• E-mail: gward@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-9884

Rafia Zafar

• Professor of English, African and African-American Studies, and American Culture Studies
• Pronouns: she/her/hers

• E-mail: zafar@wustl.edu
• Phone: 314-935-3465