Education
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), History, Temple University
- Master of Arts (M.A.), History, Villanova University
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), History, Cultural Studies, & Latin American Studies, Villanova University
Publications
Books:
Hope and Struggle in the Policed City: Black Criminalization and Resistance in Philadelphia, New York: New York University Press, 2024.
Academic Articles:
"Dig This! : Journalism as a Deterrent from Black Gang Life in Philadelphia, 1968-1970” in the Journal of African American History (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, forthcoming Fall 2026)
"The Philadelphia Lawyer’s Spirit, 1976-2026," in H-Soz-Kult, (Clio-online, July 16, 2026): 1-11.
“‘Peace in the Streets’: Black Juvenile Gangs, Activist Journalism, and the Creation of Philadelphia’s House of Umoja for Youth Rehabilitation, 1968-1986” in the Journal of Urban History, edited by Timothy J. Gilfoyle (Newbury Park: SAGE Publications, Sept. 2, 2025): 1-27.
"The Black Urban Rebellions of the 1960s,” in Rassismus in den USA: Handbuch zu Geschichte, Gesellschaft, Politik (Racism in the United States: A Handbook on History, Society, and Politics), edited by Silvan Niedermeier (Tübingen: UVK Press, 2025).
“‘Stop Talking and Act’: The Battle Between Tough on Crime Policing and Guardianship of Black Juvenile Gangs in Philadelphia, 1958-1969" in the Journal of Urban History, edited by Walter C. Stern (Newbury Park: SAGE Publications, Jan. 2, 2023): 1-20.
Op-Eds and Blog Articles:
"Philly’s 1960s war on glue-sniffing yields lessons for today’s anti-vaping efforts," The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 25, 2026.
"Philadelphia's 40-year history of protecting undocumented immigrants began with churches hiding refugees from El Salvador," The Conversation, April 8, 2026.
"How Philadelphia Became One of the Most Carceral Cities in the World," The Philly Download News: The Election Zine, Fall 2025.
"Commuters have bemoaned Philly’s public transit for decades − in 1967, a librarian got the city to listen," The Conversation, October 3, 2025.
“'A Start to Envisioning a New Neighborhood': From Safe Streets, Inc. to the North Philly Peace Park," From the Square, August 8, 2024.
"The Graffiti Art Movement in Philadelphia," Picturing Black History, August 5, 2024.
“Requiem for a Howard University Student,” Black Perspectives, April 4, 2024.
"Philadelphia's 'Black Shining Prince,'" Black Perspectives, February 13, 2024.
"Convict Leasing in the Family," Black Perspectives, January 17, 2024.
“The Controversy of the Without Sanctuary Museum Exhibit,” Black Perspectives, December 4, 2023.
"The Curator and Her Museum: Dr. Joanne Martin's Great Blacks in Wax Museum," Black Perspectives, October 23, 2023.
“The Ongoing Fight Against Female Genital Mutilation,” Black Perspectives, September 7, 2023.
“Philadelphia’s Fight Against Gun Violence, Poverty, and Crime,” Black Perspectives, August 31, 2023.
"Pools, gyms and libraries can make cities more livable for all," Washington Post, July 20, 2023.
“Black Resistance and Lynching Memory: An Interview with Mari N. Crabtree Part I & Part II,” Black Perspectives, May 2-3, 2023.
“Black Homeownership Before World War II,” Black Perspectives, March 29, 2023.
“The Mystique of Chica da Silva,” Black Perspectives, February 24, 2023.
“Louis Congo: Ex-Slave and Executioner of Louisiana,” Black Perspectives, January 25, 2023.
“Marriage and Slavery in Colonial Venezuela,” Black Perspectives, October 17, 2022.
“The legacy of decades of housing discrimination still plagues the U.S.,” Made by History, The Washington Post, June 21, 2022.
“Black Genealogy After Alex Haley’s Roots,” Black Perspectives, June 17, 2022.
“La Afrovenezolanidad: A Historiography of the Black Experience in Venezuela,” Black Perspectives, March 30, 2022.
“Black Women, West Indian Networks, and US Immigration,” Black Perspectives, January 10, 2022.
“Addressing gun violence means considering solutions other than policing,” The Washington Post, July 29, 2021.
“B’more Authentic: Teaching Difficult History in the College Classroom,” The Metropole, Urban History Association, February 3, 2021.
“Rivalry in the Trenches: Philadelphia’s PAL and the Black Panther Party’s Efforts to Mold Black Youth into Their Own Image,” The Metropole, Urban History Association, September 23, 2020.
"Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad, Dollar Princesses?," Conserving A Giant: Resurrecting Pietro da Cortona's 'Triumph of David' Blog, Villanova University's Falvey Library, August 5, 2014.
"Introducing American Royalty," Conserving A Giant: Resurrecting Pietro da Cortona's 'Triumph of David' Blog, Villanova University's Falvey Library, February 10, 2014.
Book Reviews:
Tell Her Story: Eleanor Bumpurs & The Police Killing That Galvanized New York City by LaShawn Harris. The Journal of American History, (New York: Oxford Academic, forthcoming)
Police Against the Movement: The Sabotage of the Civil Rights Struggle and the Activists Who Fought Back by Joshua Clark Davis. The Global Sixties Journal (London: Taylor & Francis, April 6, 2026)
North to Boston: Life Histories from the Black Great Migration in New England by Blake Gumprecht. The Journal of African American History, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, Summer 2025).
States of Incarceration: Rebellion, Reform, and America’s Punishment System by Jarrod Shanahan and Zhandarka Kurti. The History Teacher, (Long Beach: Society for History Education, Aug. 2024).
Black History in the Philadelphia Landscape: Deep Roots, Continuing Legacy by Amy J. Cohen. Journal of Urban Affairs, (London: Routledge, Aug. 28, 2024).
"Hyper-Segregation, Inequality, And Murder Rates--A Review of 'The Ecology of Homicide,'" The Metropole, Urban History Association, June 14, 2021.
Hope and Struggle in the Policed City: Black Criminalization and Resistance in Philadelphia, New York: New York University Press, 2024.
Academic Articles:
"Dig This! : Journalism as a Deterrent from Black Gang Life in Philadelphia, 1968-1970” in the Journal of African American History (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, forthcoming Fall 2026)
"The Philadelphia Lawyer’s Spirit, 1976-2026," in H-Soz-Kult, (Clio-online, July 16, 2026): 1-11.
“‘Peace in the Streets’: Black Juvenile Gangs, Activist Journalism, and the Creation of Philadelphia’s House of Umoja for Youth Rehabilitation, 1968-1986” in the Journal of Urban History, edited by Timothy J. Gilfoyle (Newbury Park: SAGE Publications, Sept. 2, 2025): 1-27.
"The Black Urban Rebellions of the 1960s,” in Rassismus in den USA: Handbuch zu Geschichte, Gesellschaft, Politik (Racism in the United States: A Handbook on History, Society, and Politics), edited by Silvan Niedermeier (Tübingen: UVK Press, 2025).
“‘Stop Talking and Act’: The Battle Between Tough on Crime Policing and Guardianship of Black Juvenile Gangs in Philadelphia, 1958-1969" in the Journal of Urban History, edited by Walter C. Stern (Newbury Park: SAGE Publications, Jan. 2, 2023): 1-20.
Op-Eds and Blog Articles:
"Philly’s 1960s war on glue-sniffing yields lessons for today’s anti-vaping efforts," The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 25, 2026.
"Philadelphia's 40-year history of protecting undocumented immigrants began with churches hiding refugees from El Salvador," The Conversation, April 8, 2026.
"How Philadelphia Became One of the Most Carceral Cities in the World," The Philly Download News: The Election Zine, Fall 2025.
"Commuters have bemoaned Philly’s public transit for decades − in 1967, a librarian got the city to listen," The Conversation, October 3, 2025.
“'A Start to Envisioning a New Neighborhood': From Safe Streets, Inc. to the North Philly Peace Park," From the Square, August 8, 2024.
"The Graffiti Art Movement in Philadelphia," Picturing Black History, August 5, 2024.
“Requiem for a Howard University Student,” Black Perspectives, April 4, 2024.
"Philadelphia's 'Black Shining Prince,'" Black Perspectives, February 13, 2024.
"Convict Leasing in the Family," Black Perspectives, January 17, 2024.
“The Controversy of the Without Sanctuary Museum Exhibit,” Black Perspectives, December 4, 2023.
"The Curator and Her Museum: Dr. Joanne Martin's Great Blacks in Wax Museum," Black Perspectives, October 23, 2023.
“The Ongoing Fight Against Female Genital Mutilation,” Black Perspectives, September 7, 2023.
“Philadelphia’s Fight Against Gun Violence, Poverty, and Crime,” Black Perspectives, August 31, 2023.
"Pools, gyms and libraries can make cities more livable for all," Washington Post, July 20, 2023.
“Black Resistance and Lynching Memory: An Interview with Mari N. Crabtree Part I & Part II,” Black Perspectives, May 2-3, 2023.
“Black Homeownership Before World War II,” Black Perspectives, March 29, 2023.
“The Mystique of Chica da Silva,” Black Perspectives, February 24, 2023.
“Louis Congo: Ex-Slave and Executioner of Louisiana,” Black Perspectives, January 25, 2023.
“Marriage and Slavery in Colonial Venezuela,” Black Perspectives, October 17, 2022.
“The legacy of decades of housing discrimination still plagues the U.S.,” Made by History, The Washington Post, June 21, 2022.
“Black Genealogy After Alex Haley’s Roots,” Black Perspectives, June 17, 2022.
“La Afrovenezolanidad: A Historiography of the Black Experience in Venezuela,” Black Perspectives, March 30, 2022.
“Black Women, West Indian Networks, and US Immigration,” Black Perspectives, January 10, 2022.
“Addressing gun violence means considering solutions other than policing,” The Washington Post, July 29, 2021.
“B’more Authentic: Teaching Difficult History in the College Classroom,” The Metropole, Urban History Association, February 3, 2021.
“Rivalry in the Trenches: Philadelphia’s PAL and the Black Panther Party’s Efforts to Mold Black Youth into Their Own Image,” The Metropole, Urban History Association, September 23, 2020.
"Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad, Dollar Princesses?," Conserving A Giant: Resurrecting Pietro da Cortona's 'Triumph of David' Blog, Villanova University's Falvey Library, August 5, 2014.
"Introducing American Royalty," Conserving A Giant: Resurrecting Pietro da Cortona's 'Triumph of David' Blog, Villanova University's Falvey Library, February 10, 2014.
Book Reviews:
Tell Her Story: Eleanor Bumpurs & The Police Killing That Galvanized New York City by LaShawn Harris. The Journal of American History, (New York: Oxford Academic, forthcoming)
Police Against the Movement: The Sabotage of the Civil Rights Struggle and the Activists Who Fought Back by Joshua Clark Davis. The Global Sixties Journal (London: Taylor & Francis, April 6, 2026)
North to Boston: Life Histories from the Black Great Migration in New England by Blake Gumprecht. The Journal of African American History, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, Summer 2025).
States of Incarceration: Rebellion, Reform, and America’s Punishment System by Jarrod Shanahan and Zhandarka Kurti. The History Teacher, (Long Beach: Society for History Education, Aug. 2024).
Black History in the Philadelphia Landscape: Deep Roots, Continuing Legacy by Amy J. Cohen. Journal of Urban Affairs, (London: Routledge, Aug. 28, 2024).
"Hyper-Segregation, Inequality, And Murder Rates--A Review of 'The Ecology of Homicide,'" The Metropole, Urban History Association, June 14, 2021.