Find the story, tell it well.
Research is my passion. It is challenging, humbling, and rewarding. I love the opportunity it provides to understand how people think about themselves, others, and the world around them. As a researcher, I work to identify and address social issues like gender violence, racism, and different forms of social inequality.
My training as a feminist anthropologist and experience as an activist guide my work. I support communities by conducting transparent, ethically sound research using a range of methods selected to center their voices of those I work with and provide reliable findings. My primary goal is to listen, observe, and participate with the intent to understand. This understanding comes by way of songs; stories; individual and group discussions, meetings, and interviews; archival research; respected elders; and generations of activists. These are just some of the ways the people I work with convey what is important to them.
My ethical principles and commitment drive me beyond understanding these problems to share my findings with key local and international social and political institutions to raise awareness, inform policy, and create a record of the experiences of Afro-descendants. This always includes the communities in question, the various levels of government, international entities, and funding institutions. Writing for these different audiences allows me to bring my creative and technical abilities to the fore as I tell important stories in ways that are best suited and most impactful for each group. Because research is about stories, and everyone loves a good story.