Bridging the gap between traditional archives, oral history, modern digital storytelling, and global travel, my work focuses on ethical stewardship, ensuring that every story is remembered with dignity and respect.
With a deep commitment to restorative practices, I’m a professor, researcher, author, public scholar, consultant, and trauma-informed archivist dedicated to preserving community memory. I am a leading voice in cultural heritage practice, advocating inclusive, human-centered approaches to memory work for individuals and communities worldwide.
Specializing in STAR (Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience), I believe that heritage is not a static artifact, but a living narrative that requires a human-centered lens.
My approach prioritizes restorative memory work, ensuring that every archive and story is preserved with the dignity and safety of the community it represents. By integrating trauma-informed practices, I create spaces where memory is not only remembered but also honored and reimagined for future generations.
By applying methodologies that confront historical injustice and institutional neglect, this work fosters the ethical stewardship of delicate records. I synthesize archival science with restorative justice to center descendant communities, ensuring that accounts of systemic trauma are curated with profound dignity and care.
My work has been supported by fellowships, grants, and awards from organizations including the American Association of University Women, American Council of Learned Societies, American Library Association, the Association of Research Libraries, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, Council on Library and Information Resources, Critical Language Scholarship Program, Fulbright, Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, HBCU John Hope Franklin Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, Duke University, Rockefeller Archive Center, Society of American Archivists, and West African Research Center.
