Dr. Dexter BlackmanAssociate Professor of History & Geography
Dr. Blackman researches and studies in the fields of African American, the African Diaspora, U.S. Foreign Policy and the Cold War histories, and African-American Studies. He is currently completing the book manuscript, We Are Standing Up for Humanity: Black Power, the Black Athletic Experience, and the 1968 Olympic Project for Human Rights.
You can learn more about Dr. Blackman here:
https://www.morgan.edu/history-and-geography/faculty-and-staff/dexter-blackman
Dr. Inte’a DeShieldsAssistant Professor & Coordinator of the Digital Humanities Initiative for the College of Liberal Arts, Department of English and Langauge Arts
Dr. DeShields earned her doctorate in Language, Literacy, and Culture from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. There, she focused her studies and research on sociolinguistics, whiteness studies, and rhetoric and culture. Before earning her doctorate, Dr. DeShields earned a Master of Arts in Intercultural Communication & Rhetoric from Howard University and a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication from Morgan State University. She received her formative education in Baltimore City Public Schools.
Areas of Specialization: Langauge, Literacy & Culture; Culturally Responsive & Sustainng Pedagogies; Africology & Pan-African Studies; Digital Humanities; Whiteness Studies
Dr. Ida JonesAssociate Director of Special Collections &
University ArchivistNoted professional archivist and historian, award-winning author, educator, and recognized leader in the field of African American women’s history. She graduated from Howard University. Her dedication to her alma mater and to the identification, preservation, and use of personal papers and organizational records, created by African Americans and African American organizations, prompted her to accept the coveted position of Assistant Curator of Manuscripts in Howard University’s Moorland Spingarn Research Center where she worked for 15 years.
Her scholarship is evident in numerous publications, speaking engagements, and radio and television appearances. Her publications include numerous book reviews, a variety of encyclopedia entries, and an online exhibition for the National Women’s History Museum “Claiming Their Citizenship: African American Women From 1624-2009.” She is the author of four books: The Heart of the Race Problem: the Life of Kelly Miller; Mary McLeod Bethune in Washington, D.C.: Activism and Education in Logan Circle; William Henry Jernagin in Washington, D.C.: Faith in the Fight for Civil Rights; and Baltimore Civil Rights Leader Victorine Q. Adams the Power of the Ballot.
Dr. Anika SimpsonChair, Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies
Dr. Anika Simpson is Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Morgan State University (MSU). She is also Founding Director of Black Queer Everything, an initiative funded by the Mellon Foundation that invests in the next generation of LGBTQ+ scholars, activists, and artists working toward Black liberation. Dr. Simpson has also invested in the work of institution building through the establishment of MSU’s Women’s, Gender, and Sexualities Studies program.
She is currently completing a monograph entitled Single Black Mother: Queer Reflections on Marriage and Racial Justice.A graduate of Spelman College, Dr. Simpson is deeply committed to supporting and advancing racial justice, gender justice, and LGBTQ+ equity through advocacy and education. She currently serves on the National LGBTQ Task Force Board and is a Commissioner for Washington, DC’s Office of Human Rights. Dr. Simpson lives in Washington, DC with her two daughters.
