Omar H. Ali is a historian of the global African Diaspora who serves as Dean of Lloyd International Honors College at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. As dean he works with faculty from across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, providing strategic direction and operational leadership to the university’s Honors College, the Research Fellows, Distinguished Visiting Scholars, and Artist-in-Residence programs, the university’s four Residential Colleges, and the Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Office, serving over 12,000 students. Through archival research and ethnographic fieldwork he explores how Africans and people of African descent have shaped the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indian Ocean worlds. Selected as The Carnegie Foundation North Carolina Professor of the Year and appointed Chevalier dans L’Ordre des Palmes Académiques by the French government for his work with teachers around the world, Ali’s seven books include Afro-South Asia in the Global African Diaspora (3 vols.), Malik Ambar: Power and Slavery Across the Indian Ocean, Islam in the Indian Ocean World, In the Lion’s Mouth: Black Populism in the New South, The Independent Voter, as well as a new edition of In the Balance of Power: Independent Black Politics and Third-Party Movements in the United States. He is working on four additional book projects: Africans in the Ancient Mediterranean World (with Rebecca Muich, under contract with Hackett Publishing), Black Voices in World History: Sources from Africa and across the African Diaspora (with Hewan Girma and Rebecca Muich, under review at Oxford University Press), Towards a Global History of Science with Nadja Cech, and Greensboro: The World Through a City with Virginia Summey.
A first generation East Indian-Peruvian American, Ali is a graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science, where he studied economic history and political and legal anthropology. His thesis at the LSE engaged the colonial origins of anthropology, offering a methodological critique of the scientific and humanistic claims of ethnography, and pointed instead to a dialectical ‘tool and result’ methodology in studying/changing culture and society. Ali conducted fieldwork in West Africa with the anthropologist Maxwell Owusu, a member of Ghana’s Committee of Experts on the Constitution, which drafted the nation’s 1992 constitution, before returning to the U.S. and working as a national field organizer for the independent presidential campaign of Lenora Fulani, the first woman and the first African American to get on the ballot in all fifty states running for U.S. president. After briefly working as an international civil servant at the Dag Hammarskjöld Library of the United Nations, Ali pursued his Ph.D. in History at Columbia University under the direction of Eric Foner. Ali focused his doctoral work on southern African Americans who challenged the political, legal, and economic barriers their communities faced during the post-Reconstruction period, establishing a new understanding of Black Populism in 1890s as a parallel but distinct independent black political movement to the white Populist movement of the same period. Over a decade of post-doctoral research took him to Latin America, East Africa, and South Asia to draw out comparative histories across the global African Diaspora in which he explored a range of figures, from the Bijago maroon leader Benkos Biohó in Colombia, the Ethiopian general Malik Ambar in India, to the Nubian queen Kandake Amanirenas. (Photo below with Dr. Fulani in 2018 at UNC Greensboro)
Ali holds multiple faculty appointments and affiliations at UNC Greensboro as Professor in the College of Arts & Sciences, including in the African American & African Diaspora Studies Program, the Department of History, the Department of Geography, Environment, & Sustainability, and the International and Global Studies Program. Among his previous academic appointments, he has been an Assistant Professor of History at Towson University in Maryland, a Fulbright Professor of History and Anthropology at Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, a Visiting Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies at Vanderbilt University, and a Library Scholar at the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University. Ali previously held an appointment with the French Ministry of Education as Inspector of History and Geography for the French International Baccalaureate (OIB and then BFI), working with teachers from across the world. He was also a former member of the Castillo Cultural Center artist collective and a grassroots independent political organizer in New York City (precinct captain for the Independence Party) and nationally (treasurer of the Black Reformers Network of the Reform Party), he previously directed a community-based initiative in Greensboro–Community Play!/All Stars Alliance–offering free cultural events, classes, and workshops that support learning and development through performance and play. His cultural-performatory approach to organizing developmental learning environments infuses his teaching, scholarship, and broader community-building work. In partnership with classical philologist Rebecca Muich, sociologist Hewan Girma, and analytical chemist Nadja Cech, he works on a wide range of areas that cross disciplinary boundaries and time periods, from exploring the African presence in the Greco-Roman world to investigating foundational questions regarding epistemology and methodology in the natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences. In 2021 he launched with director and theatre historian Dan Friedman, Let’s Learn! The World as Classroom, a series of free virtual classes and workshops in the arts, sciences, and humanities for anyone in the world — a partnership of Lloyd International Honors College at UNC Greensboro and the East Side Institute in New York City. (Photo below with students at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 2019)
Ali has served on the board of directors of IndependentVoting.org, the Cone Health Foundation, and the All Stars Project, and has appeared on CNN, C-SPAN, NPR, PBS, Al Jazeera, Black Network Television, Canadian Broadcast Corporation, and Huffpost Live; he has also been interviewed by or appeared in U.S. News & World Report, Time magazine, The Atlantic, Wall Street Journal, The Miami Herald, New York Newsday, Raleigh News & Observer, and the Christian Science Monitor, among other newspapers and magazines. With Sylviane Diouf he curated the online exhibit “The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World” for The New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, which was adopted by UNESCO and has been viewed by millions of people around the world. With Nadja Cech, he co-hosted the Yes, and Café podcast, which explored a range of historical, scientific, artistic, and philosophical topics; and he regularly hosts public conversations, as with Grammy-award winning musician Rhiannon Giddens, the distinguished scholar and Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, the novelist Laila Lalami, independent presidential pioneer Lenora Fulani, and the Emmy-award winning actor Alan Alda. A founder of the Islamic Studies Research Network and the North Carolina Afro-Latin American/Latinx Studies Consortium, he co-coordinates the Ethiopian, East African, and Indian Ocean Research Network at the university. His TEDx talk “What’s in a Name? Islam, History, and Identity” has been widely viewed and used in classrooms.
Education
Ph.D., History
Columbia University, New York, 2003
M.Phil./M.A., History
Columbia University, New York, 2001
B.Sc., Econ. (Hon.), Anthropology
London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, 1992
Additional Coursework:
Political economy, philosophy, and anthropology, University of Michigan, 1988-1990
Ethnographic methodology, School of Oriental and African Studies, London, England, 1991-1992
Biology and ecology, Guilford College, Greensboro, North Carolina, 2020-2022
Public international law, The Hague Academy of International Law, Netherlands, Summer 2024
Administration and Management:
The University of North Carolina System Executive Leadership Institute, 2021-2022
Yale School of Management, Negotiation Strategies and Decision Making, Summer 2021 and 2022
Council of Colleges of Arts & Sciences, Strategic Planning and Budgeting workshops, October 2023
Teaching and Research
Professor, The University of North Carolina, Greensboro, 2016-present
Lloyd International Honors College and African American & African Diaspora Studies Program; Department of History, Department of Geography, Environment, & Sustainability, and International & Global Studies Program affiliate, College of Arts & Sciences
Courses: The Making of the African Diaspora; Afro-Latin America; Africa and Islam in World History; Greensboro: The World through a City; Blacks in American Society; Africans in the Greco-Roman World; Introduction to African American and African Diaspora Studies; Ethiopia in the Global African Diaspora; How do we know what we know?: Power, Epistemology, and Methodology; History of Africa since 1870; Philosophy, Science, and Race in World History
Associate Professor, The University of North Carolina, Greensboro, 2010-2016
African American & African Diaspora Studies Program; Department of History and International and Global Studies Program affiliate, College of Arts & Sciences
Courses: The Making of the African Diaspora; Black Populism in the New South;
Independent Black Politics in the 19th c.; Islam, Africa, and the Diaspora;
Afro-Latin America; Race, Philosophy, and Play
Visiting Assistant Professor, Vanderbilt University, 2008-2009
Program in African American and Diaspora Studies
Center for Latin American Studies affiliate, College of Arts & Science
Courses: Independent Black Politics and Third Party Movements in the U.S.;
The Making of the African Diaspora; Race Matters
Library Scholar, Harvard University, 2007
David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies
Project: “Abolitionism in the Americas: Muslim African Resistance to Slavery”
Fulbright Visiting and Research Professor, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, 2006
Department of History and Department of Anthropology
Course: Resistencia a la Esclavitud, Palenques, y Abolicionismo en las Américas
Assistant Professor, Towson University, Maryland, 2004-2010
Department of History; African & African American Studies and Latin American Studies affiliate, College of Liberal Arts
Courses: The Making of the African Diaspora; World History Since 1300;
African American History, I & II; U.S. History, I & II; Historical Research Methods;
Abolitionism in the Indian Ocean World
Lecturer, Columbia University, New York, 2003-2004
Institute for Research in African American Studies, College of Arts & Sciences
Courses: Independent Politics and the African American Community; Introduction to African American Studies
Instructor, Bard College, NY, and NJ Council for the Humanities, 2002-2007
Clemente Course in the Humanities
Course: American History: Colonial to the Present
Visiting Scholar, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 2001
Center for the Study of the American South
Project: “Black Populism: From the Colored Alliance to the People’s Party”
Research Assistant, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1990-1991
Center for Afroamerican and African Studies
Project: “Ghanaian Political Systems and Constitutional Government”
(Professor Maxwell Owusu, Department of Anthropology)
Additional Teaching:
Department of Geography, Spring 2016
Elon University, North Carolina
Course: Africans and African Development (replacement for two classes)
Department of History, Spring 2014
Wake Forest University, North Carolina
Course: The Middle East and the World
Department of History, 2000-2004
Fordham University, Manhattan and Bronx, NY
Courses: U.S. History: Reconstruction to the Present;
The Western Enlightenment
Department of History, Fall 2000
Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY
Course: World History, 1500-Present
Department of History, Spring 2000
St. John’s University, Queens, NY
African American History (graduate seminar)
Teaching Awards & Honors
Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques (Knight in the Order of Academic Palms), French Ministry of Education, Republic of France (2021) link
North Carolina Professor of the Year, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Washington, D.C. (2016)
Teaching Excellence Award, The College of Arts & Sciences, UNC Greensboro (2014)
Excellence in Teaching Award, The National Society of Leadership and Success, UNC Greensboro (2013)
Service, Diversity, and Civic Awards
The Honors Society of Phi Kappa Phi, Circle of Excellence Gold Award, Chapter 352 (2022-2023)
Humanitarian Award, Division of Student Affairs, Spectrum at UNCG, student group award, faculty advisor (2022)
The Oliver Max Gardner Award, Chancellor’s Office and the Office of the Provost, UNC Greensboro nomination (2021) link
Outstanding Service and Dedication to Excellence, North Carolina Humanities Council Road Scholar (2020)
Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program, Shining Star, UNC Greensboro (2019)
Dean’s Award for the Promotion of Diversity and Inclusiveness, The College of Arts & Sciences, UNC Greensboro (2018) link
Notable Latino of the Triad, Latino Community Coalition of Guilford, NC (2016)
Chancellor’s Recognition of Contributions to the UNCG Community, Black Faculty and Staff and Human Resources, UNC Greensboro (2013 & 2014)
Guilford County Schools Volunteers Recognition, Greensboro, NC (2018) link
WFDD 88.5 FM NPR, Photo of the Week, “Jones Elementary Dance” (2018) link
Volunteer Service Recognition, David D. Jones Elementary, Guilford County Public Schools, NC (2013)
Anti-Corruption Award, Independent Voting, New York, NY (2011)
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, Fort Myer Military Community Center, Fort Myer, VA (2008)
Otto René Castillo Theatre, All Stars Project, New York, NY (2005)
Societies and Fellowships:
Royal Anthropological Institute, Fellow (2024-present)
Sigma Xi, Scientific Research Honor Society, At-large Member (2022-present)
Phi Kappa Phi, All-Disciplinary Honor Society, President, President-Elect, and founding member, UNC Greensboro (2019-2024)
Phi Beta Delta, International Honor Society, UNC Greensboro (2013-2016)
Grants, Fellowships, & Commissions
“Community Matters: Digitizing, Keywording, and Cataloguing an Art Collection in Greensboro,” National Endowment for the Humanities, Weatherspoon Art Museum, Advisory Board, proposal, Greensboro, NC (2024)
“A History of African Americans: Enslavement, Resistance, Labor, and Freedom,” One High Point Commission to Explore Community Reparations for the African American Citizens of High Point, High Point City Council, NC (2022-2023)
“Crafting a Community-Engaged Approach: Creating Pathways for African Americans in Public History,” P2 Collective Scholarship Program, Institute for Community and Economic Engagement in the Office of Research and Engagement, UNC Greensboro (2021-2022) link
“Minerva’s Wisdom” and “African Women and the Global Justice Movement,” She Can, We Can: Beyond the Women’s Suffrage Centennial, Office of the Provost, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (2020-2021)
“Indian Ocean Currents,” with Neelofer Qadir and Hewan Girma, Ashby Dialogue Group Award, College of Arts & Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (2020-2021)
Course Development Grant, “Ethiopia in the Global African Diaspora: ADS 306, with Honors section,” co-taught with Hewan Girma, African Studies Center, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (2020)
Mellon Foundation, Inter-Institutional and Interdisciplinary Grants, “Africans in the Greco-Roman World,” University of North Carolina at Greensboro and North Carolina Central University (2019)
Honoree, Faculty Excellence in Research and Creativity Activity, The College of Arts & Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (2019)
Diversity Mini-Grant, “Neith-Athena-Minerva: Africans in the Greco-Roman World?,” The College of Arts & Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (2018)
Honoree, The Atlantic World Research Network “Writing the Atlantic World” Book Celebration, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (2018)
Special Projects Kohler Grant, Islamic Studies Research Network, International Programs Center, The University of North Carolina, Greensboro (2017)
Special Projects Kohler Grant, Islamic Studies Research Network, International Programs Center, The University of North Carolina, Greensboro (2015)
Teaching and Learning Grant, Faculty Teaching & Learning Commons, The University of North Carolina, Greensboro (2013)
Nominated, W.E.B. Du Bois Distinguished Book Award, National Conference of Black Political Scientists, In the Lion’s Mouth: Black Populism in the New South (2012)
Special Projects Research Grant, Office of Research and Economic Development, The University of North Carolina, Greensboro (2012)
Scholars’ Travel Fund, Office of Research and Economic Development, The University of North Carolina, Greensboro (2012)
New Faculty Research Grant, Office of Research and Economic Development, The University of North Carolina, Greensboro (2011)
Research Travel Grant, Kohler Fund, International Programs Center, The University of North Carolina, Greensboro (2011)
Mentoring Program Grant, Teaching and Learning Center, The University of North Carolina, Greensboro (2010 & 2011)
Library Scholar, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University (2007)
Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad Program Award, U.S. Department of Education, Ghana (2007)
Fulbright Research and Lecture Award, Council for International Exchange of Scholars (2006)
Research Travel Grant, Institute for Southern Studies, University of South Carolina, Columbia (2006)
Faculty Summer Research Fellowship, Office of University Research Services, Towson University (2006)
Dissertation Writing Fellowship, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Columbia University (2002-2003)
Visiting Scholar, Center for the Study of the American South, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (2001-2002)
Summer Research Award, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Columbia University (2001 & 2002)
Teaching Fellowship, Institute for Research in African American Studies, Columbia University (2001-2002)
Honours Distinction, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London (1992)
Summer Research Opportunities Program, Lilly Endowment and Mellon Foundation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Summer 1990 & 1991)
Oxford House Scholarship, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (1990)
Publications
Books:
Independent Black Politics/African Americans in the South
The Independent Voter, with Thom Reilly and Jacqueline Salit (New York: Routledge, 2023), foreword by Andrew Yang, afterword by Jessie Fields link
In the Balance of Power: Independent Black Politics and Third Party Movements in the United States (Athens: Ohio University Press, second edition, 2020), foreword by Eric Foner, afterword by Jacqueline Salit link
In the Lion’s Mouth: Black Populism in the New South, 1886-1900 (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2010), foreword by Robin D. G. Kelly link
African Diaspora/Indian Ocean
Afro-South Asia in the Global African Diaspora, 3 vols., with Kenneth X. Robbins, Beheroze Shroff, and Jazmin Graves, eds. (The University of North Carolina at Greensboro Ethiopian and East African Studies Project and Ahmedabad Sidi Heritage and Educational Center, 2020) link .
Malik Ambar: Power and Slavery across the Indian Ocean (New York: Oxford University Press, 2016) link
Islamic Studies/East Africa-South Asia
Four People of the Book: From Foreign Jewish Roots to South Asian Islamic Roles, with Kenneth X. Robbins, and Zohaib Ahmad (Potomac, MD: K. & J. Robbins, 2023) link
Islam in the Indian Ocean World: A Brief History with Documents (Boston, MA: Bedford St. Martin’s Press, 2016) link
Books in Progress
Africans in the Ancient Mediterranean World: Primary Sources from Classical Antiquity, with Rebecca Muich (Cambridge, MA: Hackett, 2025)
Black Voices in World History: Sources from Africa and the African Diaspora, edited with Hewan Girma and Rebecca Muich (New York: Oxford University Press, under review)
Greensboro: The World Through a City, edited with Virginia Summey, Alec Rieder, and Glenn Perkins
Afro-South Asians in the Indian Ocean World, edited with Jazmin Eyssallenne Graves
The Collected Writings and Speeches of Dr. Lenora B. Fulani, edited with Jenny Lois Francisco
Edited Journal:
“Independent Black Politics,” Souls: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture, and Society, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Spring 2005) link
Chapters:
“Independent Black Political Movements: African Americans Contesting the Liberal Script,” in The Liberal Script in the United States: Polarization and Deep Contestations, Tanja A. Börzel, Thomas Risse, et al. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2024)
“Lenora B. Fulani: Distinguished Postmodern Revolutionary and Public Intellectual,” in A Seat at the Table: Black Women as Public Intellectuals in U.S. History and Culture, Hettie Williams, ed. (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2023)
“Malik Ambar: Abyssinian Defender of the Deccan,” in Afro-South Asia in the Global African Diaspora, edited with Kenneth X. Robbins, Beheroze Shroff, and Jazmin Graves (The University of North Carolina at Greensboro Ethiopian and East African Studies Project and Ahmedabad Sidi Heritage and Educational Center, 2020) link
“African Americans,” in A Companion to the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Christopher McKnight and Nancy Unger, eds. (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 2017) link
“Benkos Biohó: African Maroon Leadership in New Grenada” in Atlantic Biographies: Individuals and Peoples in the Atlantic World, Mark Meuwese and Jeffrey Fortin, eds. (Boston, MA: Brill, 2014) link
“Re-Conceptualizing Black Populism” in Southern Populism Revisited: New Interpretations and New Departures, James M. Beeby eds. (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2012)
“Black Populism: Agrarian Politics from the Colored Alliance to the People’s Party” in Beyond Forty Acres and a Mule: African American Farmers Since Reconstruction, Debra A. Reid and Evan P. Bennett, eds. (Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2012)
“Islam, Trade, and Empire,” Africa and the Wider World, Hakeem I. Tijani, Raphael Njoku, Tiffany Jones, eds. (Boston, MA: Pearson, 2010)
“Lenora Branch Fulani: Challenging the Rules of the Game” African Americans and the Presidency: The Road to the White House, Bruce Glasrud and Cary D. Wintz, eds. (New York: Routledge, 2010)
“Obama and the Generational Challenge,” The Speech: Race and Barack Obama’s “A More Perfect Union,” T. Denean Sharpley-Whiting, ed. (New York: Bloomsbury, 2009) Los Angeles Times book review
Articles and Essays:
“The Habshi/Siddi Communities in India and Pakistan,” The Cambridge History of the African Diaspora: Volume 2, Slavery, Emancipation, and the Rise of the Modern World, Aisha Finch, Rashauna Johnson and Laurie Lambert, eds. (Cambridge University Press, 2025)
“Bilal B. Rabah: Call to Prayer” and “Malik Ambar: Ethiopian Ruler in India,” Hidden Voices: Perspectives of the Global African Diaspora, Michael Gomez, ed. (New York City Department of Education and Museum of the City of New York, 2024) link
“The Indian Ocean World in Five Lives,” with Purvi Sanghvi, Live History History (August 12, 2020) link
“Black Populism: African American Political Agency Post-Reconstruction,” Social Studies Department (New York City Department of Education, 2020)
“The African Diaspora in the Early Modern Era, ” Sixteenth Century Journal: The Journal of Early Modern Studies, Vol. 49, No. 2 (Summer 2018) link
“African and Afro-Indian Rebel Leaders in Latin America: Con Tanta Arrogancia,” ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America, Vol. 17, No. 2 (Spring 2018) link
“Constructing Race in World History,” Oxford University Press Academic Insights (February 2016) link
“Afro-Perú: A Legacy of Black Labor and Culture,” ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America, Vol. 8, No. 4 (Fall 2014) English/Spanish
“The African Diaspora in Latin America: Afro-Peru and San Martín de Porres,” New African Review, Vol. 2, Issue 4 (Summer 2013)
“The Mu’azzin’s Song: Islam and the African Diaspora of the Indian Ocean,” North Carolina Conversations, Vol. 6, Issue 1 (Winter-Spring, 2012)
“Fulani’s Tools and Results,'” Palimpsest: A Journal on Women, Gender and the Black International, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Spring 2012) link
“The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World,” Omar H. Ali and Sylviane A. Diouf, The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library, 2011. UNESCO adoption link
“Standing Guard at the Door of Liberty: Black Populism in South Carolina, 1886-1897,” South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 107, No. 3 (July 2006)
“Independent Black Voices from the late 19th century: Black Populists and the Struggle Against the Southern Democracy,” Souls: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture, and Society, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Spring 2005)
“Third-Party Movements: Perot,” History in Dispute: American Social and Political Movements, 1945-2000, Benjamin Frankel, Robert J. Allison, et. al., eds. (Detroit, MI: St. James Press, 2000), 194-202.
Pedagogy Chapters, Articles, and Essays:
“Empowering Life Performer-Learners: Lloyd International Honors College at UNC Greensboro,” with Eric Toler, Improvising Community, Learning and Development: A Performance Approach to Higher Education, Studies in Play, Luke Perone, ed. (Palgrave MacMillan, under contract)
“Assessing Honors Internationalization: A Case Study of Lloyd International Honors College at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro,” with Chris Kirkman, in Internationalizing Honors, Kim Klein and Mary Kay Mulvaney, eds. (Lincoln, NE: National Collegiate Honors Council, 2020) link
“History, Humanities, and Science,” with Andromeda Crowell, in Humanities in Class: How to Think and Learn in the Humanities (Research Triangle Park, NC: National Humanities Center, 2018), 154-174 link
“‘Yes, and’ as Teaching-Learning Methodology,” with Nadja B. Cech, in Teaching & Learning in Higher Ed (April 2017) link
“The Power of Play,” with Tiera Moore, in The Navigator, vol. 2 no. 1, (Spring 2017) link
Reference Entries:
“Habshis and Sidis in India,” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History, Thomas Spear, ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2024)
“Habshis/Siddis in India,” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Asian History, David Luden, Edward Alpers, Ayesha Jalal, et al., eds. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2023)
“Black Populism,” The World of Jim Crow: A Daily Life Encyclopedia, Steven A. Reich et al., eds. (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2018)
“South Asia and the Middle East: Kaffirs” in Native Peoples of the World: An Encyclopedia of Groups, Cultures, and Contemporary Issues, Steven L. Danver, ed. (New York: Routledge, 2015) link
“Independent Voters,” with Harry Kresky, American Political Culture: An Encyclopedia, Michael Shally-Jensen, ed., Vol. I (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2015) link
“Walter A. Pattillo” in Encyclopedia of Populism in America: A Historical Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, Elizabeth Demers and Alexandra Kindell, eds. (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2014) link
“African Americans and Postmodernism” in Lose Not Courage, Lose Not Faith, Go Forward: Selected Topics from the African American Experience, 1900-2000, Naurice Frank Woods, Jr. (Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt, 2012)
“Colin Powell” in Encyclopedia of United States-Latin American Relations, Thomas Leonard, ed. (Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2012) link
“Malik Ambar,” Black Past: Remembered & Reclaimed, Quintard Taylor, ed., online (2011) link
“Population Movements in Dar-es-Islam: Islamic Migrations, 1450-1770” in World History Encyclopedia, Alfred J. Andrea, ed. (Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2011)
“Rev. John L. Moore’s ‘In the Lion’s Mouth'” in Milestone Documents in African American History: Exploring the Essential Primary Sources, Paul Finkelman, ed. (Dallas, TX: Schlager Group, 2010)
“Islam and the African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World,” Black Past: Remembered & Reclaimed, Quintard Taylor, ed., online (2009) link
“Black Politics,” The Encyclopedia of African-American History, 1896 to the Present: From the Age of Segregation to the Twenty-First Century, Paul Finkelman, ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009) link
“Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.” in Milestone Documents of American Leaders: Exploring the Primary Sources of Notable Americans, Paul Finkelman, ed. (Dallas, TX: Schlager Group, 2009)
“Abolitionism in the African Diaspora,” The Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora, Carol Boyce Davies, ed. (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2008)
“Lutie A. Lytle,” “Walter A. Pattillo,” and “Lenora B. Fulani” in The African American National Biography, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, eds. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008)
“Southern Tenant Farmers Union” in Encyclopedia of the Great Black Migration, Steven A. Reich, ed. (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2006)
“Labor Union Movements,” The Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History, William H. McNeill, Jerry H. Bentley, et. al., eds. (Great Barrington, MA: Berkshire Publishing, 2004; New York: Oxford University Press, 2016, 2nd edition)
“Colored Farmers Alliance” in The Encyclopedia of African American Culture and History, Jack Salzman, ed. (New York: MacMillan Press, 2001)
Reports:
“Dusk To Dawn: Black Labor, the Law, and the Struggle for Justice in North Carolina,” with Allison Beatty and Kaila Dollard, One High Point Commission, Reparations and Reconciliation Report, City of High Point (July 2023) High Point Reparations and Reconciliation Report July 27 2023 link to full report
“A Black, Latinx, and Independent Alliance,” U.S. Election Analysis 2020: Media, Voters, and the Campaign, Centre for Comparative Politics & Media Research, Bournemouth University, Dorset, U.K. (November 2020) link
“Black America Timeline Since the Mid-Nineteenth Century,” IndependentVoting.org (March 2017) link
“‘A Quiet Revolution: The Early Successes of California’s Top Two Nonpartisan Primary,” with Jason D. Olson, OpenPrimaries.org (August 2015) link
“College Independents Poll: The Emergence of a Non-Partisan Politics?” Office of Research and Economic Development, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Fall 2013) link
“A Brief History of Non-Partisan Municipal Elections in New York City,” Committee for a Unified Independent Party, Inc., New York (Spring 2002)
Book Reviews:
“Afro-Latin America: Black Agency and Nation-Building,” Review of Afro-Latin American Studies: An Introduction (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2018) edited by Alejandro de la Fuente and George Reid Andrews, ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin American (Winter 2019) link
Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad (New York: W.W. Norton, 2015) by Eric Foner, Politics for the People: History and Politics from an Independent Perspective (April 14, 2015) link
Revolutionary (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2013) by Alex Myers, Politics for the People: History and Politics from an Independent Perspective (March 28, 2014) link
Declarations of Dependence: The Long Reconstruction of Popular Politics in the South, 1861-1908 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2011) by Gregory P. Downs, American Historical Review, Vol. 118, No. 2 (April 2013): 521-522.
The Swing Vote: The Untapped Power of Independents (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2012) by Linda Killian, The Neo-Independent, Vol. 6, No. 3 (Winter 2012)
For Labor, Race, and Liberty: George Edwin Taylor, His Historic Run for the White House, and the Making of Independent Black Politics (Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2011) by Bruce L. Mouser, Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Vol. 11, No. 3 (July 2012): 460-462.
The Louisiana Populist Movement, 1881-1900 (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2011) by Donna A. Barnes, American Historical Review, Vol. 117, No. 2 (April 2012): 540-541
African Identity in Asia: Cultural Effects of Forced Migration (Princeton, NJ: Markus Wiener Publishers, 2009) by Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya, South Asian History and Culture, Vol. 2, Issue 3 (2011): 450-451.
A Black Congressman in the Age of Jim Crow: South Carolina’s George Washington Murray (Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2006) by John F. Marszalek, South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 109, No. 2 (April 2008): 150-152.
Challenging Slavery in the Chesapeake: Black and White Resistance to Human Bondage, 1775-1865 (Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, 2007) by T. Stephen Whitman, The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 74, No. 3 (2008): 721-722.
Cities of the Dead: Contesting the Memory of the Civil War in the South, 1865-1914 (The University of North Carolina Press, 2004) by William Blair, The Journal of African American History, Vol. 91, No. 1 (Winter 2006): 90-91.
Black Populism in the United States: An Annotated Bibliography (Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2004) by Anthony J. Adam and Gerald H. Gaither, Maryland Historical Magazine, 101 (Spring 2006): 127-128.
The Politics of Public Housing: Black Women’s Struggles Against Urban Inequality (Oxford University Press, 2004) by Rhonda Y. Williams, The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 71, No. 4 (November 2005): 951-952.
Op-Eds, Articles, Commentary, and Interviews:
“New York City Public Schools Unveils ‘Hidden Voices: Stories of the Global African Diaspora,'” Harlem World Magazine (March 1, 2024) link
“3.2 million Disenfranchised New Yorkers Deserve a Say in Primaries,” The Post Standard, Syracuse (February 28, 2024) link
“A Class on the Classics,” UNCG News (September 29, 2023) link
“Reparations Board Picks Experts,” The High Point Enterprise and Yahoo! News (March 5, 2023) link
“Andrew Young, MLK, and a ‘Freedom High,'” UNCG Magazine (February 9, 2023) link
“Independent Voters are Key, But Who Are They?” The Free Lance-Star (December 8, 2022) link
“Editorial: Two-Party System is Failing the Public,” Carteret County News-Times (November 2, 2022) link
“Two Reasons for Independents to Celebrate!” The Hub (October 27, 2022) link
“The Rise of Independents,” UNCG Research & Engagement (October 25, 2022) link
“Cultivating Growth at the Lloyd International Honors College,” UNCG News (October 18, 2022) link
“The Importance of an Academic Advisor in Your Career Path,” Sacred Space Coaching (October 17, 2022) link
“Major Parties Court Independent Voters, Who Outnumber GOP in New York,” Newsday (September 24, 2022) link
“Greensboro History Museum Welcomes Judge Alexander Biographer,” Greensboro News & Record (May 11, 2022) link
“The History Behind the First Black Woman Supreme Court Justice Nominee,” Time magazine (February 25, 2022) link
“Groundbreaking Artist Retrospective at the Weatherspoon,” UNCG News and U.S. Fed News (February 3, 2022) link
“Joy and Gratitude: Spartans Reflect on the First Week,” UNCG News (August 24, 2021) link
“How Effective are North Carolina’s Charter Schools,” The Buckley Report, Fox 8 (June 22, 2021) link
“A Look at the History of Public Charter Schools in North Carolina,” The Buckley Report, Fox 8 (June 21, 2021) link
“UNC System Names New Members of Executive Leadership Institute,” Asheville Daily News, NC (June 15, 2021)
“Free Palestine Rally in Greensboro Draws Hundreds,” ABC News 45, Winston Salem, NC (May 24, 2021) link
“Independents Exercise Increasing Control Over Democratic, Republican Candidates,” U.S. News & World Report (May 21, 2021) link
“International Museum Day Roundtable on Museums & Migration,” The Carolina Peacemaker (May 13, 2021); notification on Respatrimoni: Network of Researchers on Heritage link
“UNC System Names New Members of Executive Leadership Institute,” Executive Appointments Monitor Worldwide, Syndigate Media (May 7, 2021) link
“Faculty Service Leadership Awards Honors Dedication,” UNCG News (April 14, 2021) link
“2021 UNCG Faculty Award Recipients Announced,” UNCG News (April 6, 2021) link
“Professor honored with French knighthood: UNCG’s Omar Ali cited for his work with schools around world,” Greensboro News & Record (March 29, 2021) print edition
“This UNCG Professor has many different titles: professor, dean — and knight,” Greensboro News & Record (March 28, 2021) link; Rockingham News (March 30, 2021) link
“Milestones: Honors, Omar Ali,” Greensboro News & Record (March 19, 2021) link
“UNC Greensboro’s Ali bestowed high honor by French government,” The Carolina Peacemaker (March 11, 2011) link
“Popular Wire: Dr. Omar Ali bestowed high honor by French government,” Yes! Weekly (March 11, 2021) link
“Dr. Omar Ali bestowed high honor by French government,” College of Arts & Sciences (March 10, 2021) link reposted in UNCG Research & Engagement
“Omar Ali’s ‘In the Balance of Power’ Fills an Education Gap,” LA Progressive (February 2021) link
“Dr. Omar Ali featured on latest episode of ‘Yes, and Cafe'” UNCG News (January 7, 2021) link
“We’ve been here before: The Word’s Out,” UNCG Research Magazine (Fall 2020) link
“Reopening of the Community Centers and Regaining Hope,” Center for New North Carolinians (November 2020) link
“Chancellor Gilliam Speaks about Race on ‘Yes, and Cafe’ Podcast,” UNCG News (September 8, 2020) link
“‘Race and Racism in American History’ Third Forum,” UNCG News (August 20, 2020) link
“‘Race and Racism in American History’ Second Forum,” UNCG News, (July 20, 2020) link
“Nelson Receives Student Excellence Award from UNC at Greensboro,” Culpepper Star Exponent (July 19, 2020) link
“Continuing the Conversation on Bubba Wallace, Nascar and Sensitivity to Symbols,” Winston Salem Journal (June 24, 2020) link
“New UNCG Forum: ‘Race and Racism in American History'” Campus Weekly (June 19, 2020) link
“Black Women Had to Overcome Voter Suppression 100 Years Ago and Today,” Washington Insider (June 17, 2020) link
“Reintegrating Returning Migrants: A Global Challenge” Delhi Post News (June 17, 2020) link
“(Un)Ordinary People” UNCG Magazine (April 24, 2020) link
“Conference Explores Blackness, Connections, Collaborations,” UNCG News (February 11, 2020) link
“Humanities Now: A New Conversation” UNCG Research Magazine, Vol. 20 (Fall 2019) link
“Events Mark Anniversary of Deadly Shootout: Later Dubbed Greensboro Massacre,” News & Record (October 23, 2019) link
“Greensboro History Museum event ‘History and Reconciliation: A Community Symposium,'” Yes! Weekly (October 22, 2019) link
“Smithsonian Speaker on Muslim Slaves in America,” Campus Weekly (September 15, 2019) link
“Why One Professor Thinks Fun Matters in Learning,” Chronicle of Higher Education (May 15, 2019) link
“UNCG Students, Faculty Honor New Zealand Mosque Massacre Victims by Calling for Unity,” WXII 12, NBC News affiliate, NC (March 20, 2019) link
“The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi to Install Chapter 352 at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro,” Phi Kappa Phi news and Greensboro News & Record (March 13 and 15, 2019) link
“Using Biography and Technology to Teach Global Africa,” Norah L.A. Gharala (March 6, 2019) link
“An Homage to Taste of Thai” Greensboro News & Record (February 25, 2019) link
“Fricke Fine Arts Debuts ‘Africans in India’ Exhibit,” The Pitt News, February 19, 2019) link
“Performance and Play: Pioneering a New Method of Learning in Lloyd International Honors College,” Yes! Weekly (December 24, 2018) link
“Miami Archdiocese Celebrates Black Catholic History Month,” Miami Herald (November 7, 2018) link
“Dr. Lenora B. Fulani: Independent Political Pioneer,” The Carolina Peacemaker (November 2, 2018) link
“Dr. Fulani Shakes the Nation,” The Carolinian (October 31, 2018) link
“On the Cutting Edge,” All Stars CEO Bulletin (October 28, 2018)
“Lenora Fulani will Speak this Evening” Campus Weekly (October 22, 2018)
“Omar Ali gets Dean’s Award for Promotion of Diversity & Inclusiveness,” Campus Weekly (October 1, 2018) link
“Alan Alda Talks Empathy, Communication at UNCG,” UNCG Now (September 26, 2018) link
“Diversity Reimagined: Creating a Culture of Possibilities by Relating to Others as Partners, Fellow Learners, and Builders,” The Carolina Peacemaker (September 2018)
“Open Conversation on Building Community,” Campus Weekly (September 10, 2018) link
“N.C. Folk Festival Wraps up its First Year in Greensboro,” News & Record (September 9, 2018) link
“Hear the Banjo Ring” UNCG Now (September 5, 2018) link
“Conversation with Rhiannon Giddens, Omar Ali, and Francesco Turrisi,” Campus Weekly (August 27, 2018) link
“GTCC Faculty Complete Four-Day Multicultural Academy,” Guilford Technical Community College News and Events, Jamestown, N.C. (August 15, 2018) link
“Ahuatenco on My Mind,” The Carolina Peacemaker (April 12, 2018) link
“Students Lead Gun Reform Walkout at UNCG,” The Carolinian (March 21, 2018) link
“Student Walk-out for Gun Safety,” The Carolina Peacemaker (March 16, 2018) link
“Contributions on the African Diaspora Highlighted During Event to Mark Black History Month at United Nations Headquarters,” Events on Remember Slavery, U.N. (February 8, 2018) link
“Screening of ‘Familiar Faces/Unexpected Places-A Global African Diaspora’ to Mark Black History Month at United Nations Headquarters,” United Nations note to correspondents (February 7, 2018) link
“Academics and Activists Probe Open Primaries Together,” The Hub (January 22, 2018) link
“The Irresistible Effectiveness of Wedge Politics,” The Atlantic (December 2017) link
“Letter Claiming The French Review Published an Islamophobic and Racist Peer-Reviewed Journal Article,” Jadaliyya (December 23, 2017) link
“Dean Ali in Paris!” There Be Dragons blog (October 22, 2017) link
“Katherine Smith Reynolds Scholarship Turns 50,” Campus Weekly (October 9, 2017) link video link
“Garifunas in the African Diaspora,” The Carolina Peacemaker (September 7-13, 2017) link
“Renown Professor to discuss Local History,” The News Herald (September 13, 2017) link
“Abu’s Afsanas,” Humanities Moments, A project of the National Humanities Center (August 2017) link
“SISAAS, Howard University conference” American Institute of Indian Studies newsletter (Spring 2017) link
“Spartans Shine Brightly at Annual Student Honors Convocation,” UNCG Now (May 10, 2017) link
“Can you improvise in Higher Education?” Lois Holzman Social Therapeutics (May 1, 2017) link
“Professors encourage and affirm engaged experiential learning through ‘Yes, and’ Concept,” Provost News (May 1, 2017) link
“Latinos Notables del Triad: Dr. Ali destacará aporte de Latinos en el Triad,” Hola Noticias (April 20, 2017) link
“University Libraries’ Faculty Honored at Faculty Excellence in Research and Creative Activity,” Friends of the UNCG Libraries (April 19, 2017) link
“Dr. Omar Ali appointed Dean of Lloyd International Honors College,” Campus Weekly (March 21, 2017) link
“Spectrum: UNC-Greensboro Group Serves those on the Autism Spectrum” Greensboro News & Record (March 5, 2017) link
“Many Journeys, Many Stories: With Liberty and Justice for All,” The Carolina Peacemaker (March 3, 2017) link
“Exploring New Frontiers of America’s Changing Electorate,” IndependentVoting.org (March 1, 2017) link
“UNCG Grad Sheds Light on Going to Prison with Jumpsuit” The Washington Times (December 3, 2016) link
“Politics & Government: Democracy and the Pitfalls of Party Politics,” NPR, WFDD (November 11, 2016) link
“Transitions: Dr. Omar H. Ali,” Grant Makers in Health (November 2016) link
“History Professors Share Insights into World Migrations,” The Historian (Fall 2016) link
“‘Many Faces of Islam’ is Topic for Upcoming Diversity Affairs Event,” The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences News, North Carolina State University (November 21, 2016) link
“Bridging the Gap, Play by Play,” Campus Weekly (November 8, 2016) link
“Changes to Power Centers – Third Party Politics in the U.S.,” The Scholars’ Circle (July 16, 2016) link
“The Independent Voter: Pushing Past Party Lines,” UNCG Research Magazine: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity (Spring 2016) link
“On Race and Power: Dr. Omar Ali at TEDxUNC,” Research Perspectives (April 18, 2016) link
“Challenging Identity: Ali Pens ‘Malik Ambar: Power and Slavery Across the Indian Ocean,'” UNCG Spotlight (March 16, 2016) link
“Student Advisory Council: ‘Bridging the Gap'” The Carolinian (January 27, 2016) link
“Notable Latino of the Triad,” Campus Weekly (January 20, 2016) link
“Impactful Art Series: Dr. Omar Ali,” The Carolinian (January 13, 2016) link
“People on the Move: Omar H. Ali,” Triad Business Journal (January 8-14, 2016) link
“UNC Professor to Speak at ES-U in January,” The Pilot (January 8, 2016) link
“This Week at Greensboro Rotary: Dr. Omar H. Ali,” Rotaryans, Rotary Club of Greensboro Newsletter (January 6, 2016) link
“Malik Ambar,” Timeline.com (January 2016) link
“UNC Professor to Speak at ES-U in January,” The Pilot, Moore County, NC (January 8, 2016) link
“Polytechnic School: Omar Ali ’88 named North Carolina Professor of the Year,” Pasadena Now (December 8, 2015) link
“Omar Ali ’88 named North Carolina Professor of the Year,” Polytechnic School Alumni Newsletter (December 8, 2015) link
“Why We Play the Blame Game: Does the ‘Law of the Excluded Middle’ Hurt Us?” Guest Columnist, A Conceptual Revolution, Psychology Today (December 5, 2015) link
“We Can Stop the Blame Game,” Lois Holzman Social Therapeutics (December 5, 2015) link
“Fresh Eyes: Blame it on Aristotle!” Triad City Beat (December 2, 2015) link
“UNCG’s Ali Named N.C. Professor of the Year,” Southern Conference (December 2, 2015) link
“Omar Ali is North Carolina Professor of the Year,” Campus Weekly (December 1, 2015) link
“Reflections on Reflections on The Notion of Family,” Politics for the People (November 30, 2015) link
“Development, Research, and Policy,” The All Stars CEO Bulletin (November 2015) link
“Carnegie Foundation Names UNCG Professor North Carolina Professor of the Year,” UNCG Now (November 19, 2015) link .
“UNCG Professor Named Tops in NC,” Greensboro News and Record (November 19, 2015) link
“Omar Ali Named NC Professor of the Year — TEDxGreensboro 2015 Speaker,” TEDxGreensboro Recent News (November 19, 2015) link
“Wave of Protests Hit Campus: UNCG Students Stand up and Speak out,” The Carolinian (November 18, 2015) link
“Students at UNCG rally in support of Missouri Peers,” Greensboro News and Record (November 17, 2015) link
“Roll Tide” Business North Carolina magazine (November 16, 2015) link
“Islam in the World,” The Carolinian (November 4, 2015) link
“A Way to Start Each Week: Monday Play Charts New Adventures in Learning,” UNCG Now (October 27, 2015) link
“Dr. Omar H. Ali, Prominent Backer of Top-Two, Says Top-Four Would be Just as Good,” Ballot Access News (October 22, 2015) link
“Guatemala Election Puts Latin America’s Affinity for Racist Caricatures in Spotlight,” The Guardian (October 21, 2015) link
“The Syllabus: A Hyphenated Solution at UNCG?” Greensboro New and Record (September 25, 2015) link
“UNCG Trustees Delve into Aycock’s Historical Legacy,” Greensboro New & Record (September 24, 2015) link
“UNCG Graduate Student Unites Spiritual Groups,” The Carolinian (September 24, 2015) link
“Advisory Council Establishes Community Communication,” The Carolinian (September 18, 2015) link
“Journal of Global Slavery,” GLC Newsletter, Yale University Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition (September 9, 2015) link
“Dance Hip Hop Workshop,” The Carolinian (August 26, 2015) link
“In the News: Transformative Effects of Primary Reform: Dr. Ali Releases Groundbreaking Report,” UNCG Spotlight (August 21, 2015) link
“On the new Lloyd International Honors College dean,” The Carolinian (August 20, 2015) link
“‘Open Primaries’ Lauds CA’s ‘Jungle’ Primary,” Breitbart Report (August 5, 2015) link
“Groundbreaking Report Released on the Transformative Effects of Primary Reform,” CNBC (August 4, 2015) link link
“Flag Controversy in the U.S. and South Africa,” A Teacher’s Journey to the Rainbow Nation blog (July 10, 2015) link
“Washington Insider: Independents’ Day,” interviewed by Matt E. Stevens, Ebony Magazine (June 2015) link
“Maroons Revisited,” The Lapidus Center for the Historical Analysis of Transatlantic Slavery, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library (June 11, 2015) link
“Dumping Demos, GOP?: Rise of the Independent Voter a Possible Political Game-Changer,” Indianapolis Recorder (April 30, 2015) link
“Media’s Role on the Public’s View of Muslims,” TWC News (April 29, 2015) link
“Catch a Spark During TEDxGreensboro,” Greensboro News & Record (April 27, 2015) link
“Social Media Outreach May Have Affected Riots,” TWC News (April 28, 2015) link
“Malik Ambar: Ethiopian Slave Turned Sultan,” Ethiopia Online (April 21, 2015) link
“Muslim Students fight for Inclusiveness,” TWC News (April 20, 2015) link
“Student Advisory Council to UNCG Police,” The Carolinian (April 21,2015) link
“Road Scholar Program: Understanding Black History as American History,” GoDanRiver.com, Danville, VA (April 13, 2015) link
“Omar Ali will be Interim Dean of UNCG’s Lloyd International Honors College,” Campus Weekly (March 31, 2015) link
“UNCG Historian: Greensboro Bill Defies NC History of Local Control,” WFDD Politics & Government, Winston-Salem, NC (March 18, 2015) link
“Man Involved in Chapel Hill Shootings Indicted on Murder Charges — UNCG Community Joins in Global Effort to Support Victim’s Families,” The Carolinian (February 19, 2015) link
“UNCG Community Comes Together to Discuss Chapel Hill Shootings in Open-Dialogue Forum,” The Carolinian (February 17, 2015) link
“Hundreds Gather in Greensboro to Mourn Three Victims,” Greensboro News & Record (February 12, 2015) link
“Chancellor Search Committee Hashes Out Details,” The Carolinian (February 11, 2015) link
“On Becoming and I Am Abraham,” Politics for the People: History and Politics from an Independent Perspective (February 11, 2015) link
“Is South Carolina Better for Minorities than North Carolina,” O-Pinion blog (February 4, 2015) link
“Study: Racial Pay-Gap Widening in Massachusetts,” Barnstable-Hyannis Patch (February 4, 2015) link
“2015’s States with the Highest and Lowest Financial Gaps by Race/Ethnicity,” WalletHub (February 3, 2015) link
“A Chance to be Heard: NC Independents and The Greensboro Voice,” Horizons: The UNCG Graduate School Newsletter (Winter 2015)
“Discrimination Denies Independent Voters Fair Access,” Greensboro News & Record (October 16, 2011; updated January 24, 2015) link
“Search is On for New UNCG Chancellor,” The Greensboro News & Record (December 2014) link
“The African Diaspora: Interview with Dr. Omar Ali,” Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism (Fall 2014) link
“150 UNCG Faculty Sign Petition to Drop Charges Against Former Colleagues,” Triad City Beat (October 21, 2014) link
“Lecture by Dr. Omar Ali,” Current Issues in Anthropology blog (September 9, 2014) link
“Guilford: Greensboro Looking to Diversify,” Greensboro News & Record (September 6, 2014)
“75 Percent of College Students in NC Self-Identify as Independent,” Independent Voting Network (September 3, 2013) link
“Community Play! Conversation Between UNCG Students and the Campus Police,” Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (August 26, 2014)
“Academic: Informal College Poll Suggests Sagging Pants Pushback is Generational,” The Inside Scoop, Greensboro News & Record (April 8, 2014)
“Nonprofits: Divan Center Promotes Harmony with Diversity,” Greensboro News & Record (March 5, 2014)
“Independents’ Day,” UNCG Research Magazine, Vol. 11 (Fall 2013)
“Politically Independent College Students Favor Structural Reform to Reduce Partisanship, N.C. Poll Finds,” Rules Change (November 24, 2013) link
“Ali Interviewed by the N&O Regarding Independent Politics” UNCG Now (November 6, 2013)
“UNCG Professor Questions Party Platforms,” Greensboro News & Record (November 5, 2013) link
“Professor Questions Party Platforms,” The Tar Heel Daily (November 5, 2013)
“Candidates Make Final Push,” CBS News online (November 1, 2013)
“UNCG Professor Helps Mobilize Independent Voters To Push For Political Reform,” Raleigh News & Observer (October 26, 2013)
“Delegation form South African University,” Campus Weekly (October 1, 2013)
“Faculty Profile: Dr. Omar Ali Discusses the Politics of Independents,” Horizons (Spring 2013)
“A Woman’s Perspective of the 1960’s Woolworth Sit In,” The A&T Register (April 17, 2013) link
“Dr. Omar Ali,” Campus Weekly (March 5, 2013)
“Ali, UNCG Students Participate in Conference Aired on C-SPAN,” University News (March 1, 2013)
“2013 National Conference of Independents,” Independent Voter Network (February 28, 2013)
“Celebrate the Power in History,” The Free Lance-Star (February 17, 2013)
“UNCG Home to one of U.S.’ Top Black Studies Programs,” Winston-Salem Chronicle (December 19, 2012) link
“University of North Carolina Greensboro’s Black Studies Program in Top 10 Nationally,” Atlantic Black Star (December 5, 2012) link
“Ali Gives Insight into Independent Voters,” CNN Political Strike Team (June-November, 2012)
“Classes Leverage New York Times Materials,” Campus Weekly (October 9, 2012)
“With No Mosques in Boone,” The Appalachian (September 25, 2012) link
“Presidential Disclosure: How Much is Too Much When It Comes to Tax Returns,” NerdWallet Markets (September 7, 2012)
“The Division of Politics Has Worsened in the Last Four Years,” CBS News online (September 6, 2012)
“Up for Grabs: North Carolina’s New Role as a 2012 Swing State,” Yahoo! News (July 24, 2012)
“The Afro-Asiatic Mashup,” Phenderson Djèlí Clark (June 3, 2012)
“The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World,” Africa is a Country (June 1, 2012)
“History: The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World,” Neo-Griot (June 1, 2012)
“Greensboro Sailed Alone in Sea of County Support,” Greensboro News & Record (May 10, 2012)
“House 60: Free Thinker vs. Party Line: Black political establishment upset by incumbent’s independent nature,” Greensboro News & Record (March 18, 2012)
“‘Road Scholar’ Omar Ali Lectures on Black History,” UNCG Now (February 28, 2012) link
“A Different Perspective on History,” Danville Register & Bee (February 26, 2012)
“A Different Perspective on History,” The News & Advance, Lynchburg, VA (February 26, 2012) link
“Movements to the Mountaintop: History as Failure–Lessons from the Black Populists,” The Free Lance-Star (February 19, 2012)
“Dr. Omar H. Ali ‘Understanding Black History as American History,'” Rockingham Update (February 10, 2012)
“Why Florida is different from other Primaries,” CBS News online (January 31, 2012)
“North Carolina Independents: Unaffiliated Voters and the Challenge of Changing the Status Quo,” Linking Triad (January 30, 2012)
“Prof. to Discuss Black Church Leader,” The Daily Dispatch (January 28, 2012)
“Historian to Present a Program at Library,” The Butner-Creedmoore News (January 26, 2012)
“Dr. Omar H. Ali Holds Program,” Oxford Public Ledger (January 26, 2012)
“Declaration of the independents,” Raleigh News & Observer (January 25, 2012)
“Seeing New Things: Past and Present,” The Rock River Times (January 4, 2012)
“Why We Need to Care About the Iowa Caucus,” CBS News online (January 3, 2012)
“The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World: New Online Exhibit Details the Historical Presence of Blacks,” The Crisis Magazine (2011)
“Voters Flee Democratic Party in Key Swing States,” The Note, ABC News (December 7, 2011)
“Occupy Movement in North Carolina Takes Stock After Two Months,” Boston Herald (November 19, 2011)
“As Cities Around the U.S. Crack Down, Occupy Movement in NC Takes Stock,” The Republic (November 19, 2011)
“Herman Cain’s other problem: African-Americans,” The Christian Science Monitor (November 17, 2011)
“Occupy Greensboro Movement Discusses Social Equality,” Carolina Peacemaker (November 3, 2011)
“Poll Reveals Only 17% of Americans Happy with Direction of Country,” CBS News online (November 3, 2011)
“Dr. Omar Ali Discusses Why People Don’t Vote,” CBS News online (October 11, 2011) (History News Network)
“Campaign Chronicles: Politics are not Red and Blue,” The Guilfordian (October 6, 2011)
“Is Voting Online On The Horizon?” CBS News online (October 5, 2011) link
“Early Voting,” CBS News online (September 22, 2011)
“Malik Ambar: The Legacy of an Ethiopian Ruler in India,” The Reporter, Living & the Arts section (Ethiopia) (August 20, 2011)
“Seeing New Things: Past and Present,” Guest Column, The Rock River Times (July 13-19) link
“His Message: Islam ‘part of American culture’,” North Regional News (May 8, 2011)
“In the Lion’s Mouth,” UNCG Research magazine (Spring 2011)
“More Blacks Choosing to Vote Independent,” Florida Courier (February 17, 2011)
“African Americans Riding Wave of Independence,” BlackAmericaWeb (February 15, 2011)
“Creating New Conversations,” The Hankster (February 11, 2011) link
“Tunisian President Forced Out as Protests Continue,” The Guilfordian (January 28, 2011)
“What Ever Happened to … ?” The Washington Post (December 19, 2010)
“Book Shines Light on Little-Known Black Populism Movement ,” The Chronicle (November 25, 2010)
“Cotton Pickers’ Strike Exposed Risk in Populism,” North Carolina Miscellany: Exploring the History, Literature, and Culture of the Tar Heel State, UNC University library (November 19, 2010) link
“The Jim Crow of Bipartisan Rule,” Historical Notes & Commentary (November 14, 2010) link
“Independent Rides Wave of Discontent to Win,” Greensboro News & Record (November 4, 2010)
“Third-Party Candidates Hope Voters Are Ready to Take Action,” Carroll County Times (October 3, 2010)
“Wedge Issues Divide Politicians From Independents,” CNN Politics (August 20, 2010)
“In the Balance of Power by Omar Ali,” CoffeePartyUSA.com (April 6, 2010)
“After Slavery: Race, Labor, and Citizenship,” Charleston City Paper (March 3, 2010) link
“Development in Africa and the Diaspora: Democracy as Performed Activity in the Making of a Post-Modern World,” Partners for Africa (August 2009)
“2008 Presidential Election Signals Transition: Vanderbilt Experts: Independents Played Starring Role,” Public Relations Newswire, Nashville, TN (October 31, 2008)
The Vanderbilt Political Review, Vol. 1, Issue 2 (November/December 2008)”A La Conquista de los Indecisos,” El Espectador (October 14, 2008)
“But Will They Vote?” NewsChannel5.com, Nashville, TN (October 8, 2008)
“Obama’s Youthquake: Is the Senator Leading a Movement, or Just an Interesting Campaign?” Atlanta Journal-Constitution(February 10, 2008)
“Local Professor Discusses the Life and Legacy of Slain Civil Rights Leader,” The Pentagram (January 10, 2008)
“Alumni Voices,” Colombian Quarterly, No. 60 (January-March 2007)
“Theatre for the Whole City’s Season Starts with a Bang!” All Stars Project Newsletter, Vol. 8 (January 2, 2006)
“Building Black and Latino Independence in New York City,” Indigenous People of Africa and America (May 2005 – Vol. 2, Issue 2)
“Reflections on History as Performance (an afsana for Abu),” World History Bulletin, Vol. XXI No. 2 (Fall 2005) and Credence magazine (February 20, 2005)
“Faculty Appointments,” Perspectives: Newsletter of the American Historical Association, Vol 42 (2004)
“Thinking Outside the (Ballot) Box: A Broader Political Engagement Strategy for America’s Civic Organizations” by Cynthia M. Gibson, National Civic Review, Vol. 93, Issue 2 (2004): 20-30.
“Black Farmers in America, 1865-2000: The Pursuit of Independent Farming and the Role of Cooperatives” RBS Research Report 194, U.S. Department of Agriculture (October 2003)
“Ali Speaks on Independent Movement,” Daily Bruin (November 17, 2002)
“Activist Argues Against Two-Party System, Favoring Open Debate,” The Daily Princetonian (October 11, 2002)
“Those Who Make the Rules Rule,” The Guardian (September 25, 2002)
“Yale Political Union Guest Attacks Two-Party System,” Yale Daily News (September 18, 2002) link
“The Making of a Black Populist: A Tribute to the Rev. Walter A. Pattillo,” Oxford Public Ledger (March 28, 2002 – Vol. 121, No. 25)
“Those Who Make the Rules, Rule”: Part 1 Part 2 BlackElectorate.Com (October 14, 2002) For original CUIP white paper click here
“American Foreign Policy: A Question of Democracy,” Black Star Magazine (November 4, 2001)
“Redistricting Gives Two Parties Unfair Edge,” New York Newsday (May 31, 2001)
“Frank MacKay’s Call for Local Control,” democracy with a small d, Vol. 3, No. 2 (September 2000)
“A New Populism in the United States,” History News Service (November 26, 1999) link
“The Politics of Peru: Inflation, Debt, and Drugs Threaten Human Rights,” with Kathryn Savoie, The Michigan Daily (March 31, 1989) link
Miscellaneous:
Press release for New York City Public Schools launch of Hidden Voices: Stories of the Global African Diaspora (2024) link
The Siddi Project: South Asia’s African Diaspora, photo exhibit bibliography (2022) link
Statement from Lloyd International Honors College, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (July 2020) link
Amendment to the “Draft Declaration on the Promotion and Full Respect of Human Rights of People of African Descent” Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, United Nations Office of Geneva, Switzerland (February 1, 2018)
Letter to the Editor in Chief, The French Review, in response to “L’Islamisme à la conquête de la République Française” Vol. 91.1 (November 22, 2017)
“Independents’ Plight,” Letter to the Editor, Raleigh News & Observer (May 2, 2014) link
“Declarations of Independence from Greensboro, N.C.,” and “Message from North Carolina Independents,” National Conference of Independents Blog (January 2 and Februray 6, 2013)
Commentary on “Taxpayers Fund the Politics of Democratic and Republican National Conventions,” CBS News online (September 5, 2012)
Foreword to Naurice Frank Woods, Jr., A History of African Americans in the Segregated United States Military: From America’s War of Independence to the Korean War (Lewiston, NY: Mellon Press, 2013)
“Tribute to Manning Marable,” Souls: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture, and Society, Vol. 13, Issue 4 (December 2011): 440.
Foreword to Fred Newman and Jacqueline Salit, Talk/Talk: Making (Non)Sense of an Irrational World, John Opdycke, ed. (New York: IndependentVoting/CUIP, 2010)
Black Populism in the New South resource website (1998-2010)
Editor, Towson History Matters, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Fall 2007)
Letter to the Editor, “Setting a Presidential Precedent,” Black Enterprise (June 2005)
“Abolicionismo en América: Hacia un Estudio Comparativo de Historia Mundial” (Abolitionism in the Americas: Towards a Comparative Study of World History), Universidad Nacional de Colombia archived paper from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia, Colonial Americas Studies Organization International Interdisciplinary Symposium (2005) link
Letter to the Editor, “A Vote for Democracy,” National Geographic, Vol. 207, No. 3 (March 2005)
Manuscript and Journal Review:
Taylor & Francis Press
Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage, “The Siddis of Karnataka: Religiosity, Africanity and the Struggle Against Discrimination” (2024)
University of Pittsburgh Press
Afrasian Worlds: Contours, Crossings, Connections book series (2024)
University of Florida Press
Journal of Global Postcolonial Studies, “Racism Learnt and Unlearnt: Locating Afro-Diasporic Experiences in India in ‘The Shade of You’ by Anushree Majumdar” (2023)
Wiley-Blackwell
Journal of Agrarian Change, “From Creating to Confronting Racial Hierarchies: The Evolving Role of the U.S. State in Land Policy” (2023)
Oxford University Press
Forging America: A History of the United States and the People Who Made It, Stephen Hahn (2022)
Oxford University Press (Organization of American Historians)
Journal of American History, “African Americans and Partisanship in the Late Nineteenth Century: From Re-Enslavement to Political Independence,” (2022)
Journal of American History, “‘Our Very Pronounced Theory of Equal Rights to All’: Race, Citizenship, and Populism in the South Texas Borderlands,” Gregg Cantrell (2011)
Vernon Press
Black migrations in Latin America: Paths on the Margins of History, Elaine Pereira Rocha (2022)
Wiley-Blackwell
Journal of Politics & Policy, “The Fluid Voter: Exploring Independent Voting Patterns Over Time,” Dan Hunting and Thomas Reilly (2022)
The University of Hawai’i Press
Journal of World History, “Between the Red Sea Slave Trade and the Goa Inquisition: The Odyssey of Gabriel, a 16th-Century Ethiopian Jew” (2019)
The University of Chicago Press
Monsoon Islam: Trade & Faith on the” Medieval Malabar Coast, Sebastian R. Prange (2017)
Brill Publishers
Journal of Global Slavery, proposed journal review (2014)
The Pennsylvania State University Press
Journal of Africana Religions, “Siddi (African Indian) Islam in South Asia” (2013)
Palgrave Macmillan
Black Leaders on Black Leadership, Phyllis Leffler (2013)
Oxford University Press (New Oxford World History Series)
The Indian Ocean in World History, Edward Alpers (2012)
Routledge Publishing
Sojourner Truth biography proposal review (2011)
The University of Wisconsin Press
For Labor, Race, and Liberty: George Edwin Taylor, Bruce L. Mouser (2010)
African Diaspora Press
The Glorious Years: The African Diaspora in Postwar Paris, Felix Germain (2010)
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing
A History of Latin America to 1825, 3rd edition, Peter Bakewell (2007)
Bedford St. Martin’s Press
Crossroads and Cultures: A History of the World’s Peoples, Bonnie Smith, Marc Van de Mieroop, Richard Von Glahn, and Kris Lane (2006)
Editorial Boards:
Journal of Global Slavery link
Afro-Descendants de L’Océan Indien link
The Neo-Independent: The Politics of Becoming link
Souls: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture, and Society link
Lectures, Workshops, and Presentations
2025
“History, Ecology, and the Underground Railroad Tree in the Guilford Woods,” B’nai Shalom (Children of Peace) Day School, Greensboro, NC (February 12, 2025)
“Scientific Methodology Since Antiquity: Towards an Understanding of Africa in the Global History of Science,” 24th Annual Africa Conference, Department of History, University of Texas, Austin (March 26, 2025)
“Africa in the Global History of Science,” Let’s Learn! The World as Classroom, East Side Institute, Lloyd International Honors College, Greensboro, NC (March 20, 2025)
2024
“Equatorial Guinea: Central Africa in the Making of World History,” Foundations of Hispanic Cultures, Literatures, and Films, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (November 7, 2024)
“Cuba: A Brief History,” Jazz Studies Program guest lecture, Department of Music, College of Visual and Performing Arts, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (November 1, 2024)
“A World History of Science,” First-Year Seminar guest lecture, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (October 23, 2024)
“Malik Ambar: Towards a Global History of Africa and the African Diaspora,” Department of History, Towson University (October 8, 2024)
“Freedom Seekers: The Underground Railroad in Guilford Woods,” Department of History, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Lloyd International Honors College, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (September 22, 2024)
“Black Populism in the New South: Post-Reconstruction Movement-Making,” Juneteenth Celebration, Improvscience Freedom Festival, Greensboro, NC (July 30, 2024) link
“Freedom-Makers: Maroons and the Underground Railroad,” Juneteenth Celebration, Improvscience Freedom Festival, Greensboro, NC (July 29, 2024) link
“Malik Ambar, Defender of the Deccan: The Ninth Century to the Present,” Teaching the African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World, South Asia Institute, Columbia University, New York (June 8, 2024) link
“The Power of Play at Lloyd International Honors College and Let’s Learn! The World as Classroom,” presentation to International Class, East Side Institute, New York (June 8, 2024)
“Pushing Back against Aristotle’s Principle of the Excluded Middle,” Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences Summit, University of North Carolina System (May 15, 2024) link
”American Refugee: True Stories of the Refugee Experience” conversation with author Diya Abdo, North Carolina Humanities Council, Greensboro, NC (April 24, 2024)
“North Carolina’s Anti-Slavery Movement, the Law, and the Underground Railroad,” Guilford Green Foundation, Guilford Woods, Greensboro, NC (February 10, 2024)
”Community, Ecology, and the Underground Railroad Tree,” Harvest Academy, Greensboro, NC (February 3, 2024)
“Race: A World History,” lecture and discussion for Snapdocs national office, San Francisco, CA (February 1, 2024)
“Malik Ambar: Black Power in the western Indian Ocean,” The Black Indian Ocean: Slavery, Religion, and Identity (1400-1700) Symposium, Yale Institute of Sacred Music, Yale University, New Haven, CT (January 26, 2024)
“‘Everyone Has Something to Teach, Everyone Has Something to Learn’: Challenging the Limits of Education,” online workshop with Dr. Dan Friedman, Dr. Jim Martinez, and Christelle Barakat, Learning Planet Institute and UNESCO, International Day of Education, Paris, France (January 24, 2024) link
2023
“The Underground Railroad and the Guilford Woods,” B’nail Shalom Day School, Guilford Woods, Greensboro, NC (December 5, 2023)
“Homo sapiens notanowittal: Towards a Non-Epistemological Ontology,” Alumni All Access Engagement Series, UNC Greensboro (November 27, 2023)
“Once Upon All Time: A Brief History,” Emeritus Society-Lifelong Learning, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (November 10 and 17, 2023)
“Malik Ambar: African Diasporic Political Leadership in World History,” Guest Lecture for Africans and the African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World, Department of Africana Studies, SUNY, Binghamton, New York (October 24, 2023)
“Launching for Liberty: Africans and African-Americans in the Making of the Underground Railroad in the Guilford Woods,” Greensboro Jewish Family Services, Guilford Woods, Greensboro, NC (October 15, 2023)
“Reading and Conducting Research Across Disciplines” Guest Lecture, Social Work Issues and Topics, Department of Social Work, School of Health and Human Sciences, UNC Greensboro (October 3, 2023)
“Islam in South Asia: Blending Traditions, Creating New Practices,” History Club, Department of History, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (September 20, 2023)
“The Independent Voter: Can we get beyond partisanship?” with Thom Reilly and Jacqueline Salit, Book Talk, Greensboro History Museum and Lloyd International Honors College, UNC Greensboro (September 12, 2023)
“Malik Ambar: African Ruler of Ahmednagar,” Lecture Series on the Nizam Shahi Kingdom of Ahmednagar, Mumbai Research Center, India (July 6, 2023)
“The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World,” UNCG Prison Educational Program, Federal Correctional Complex, Butner, NC (July 6, 2023)
“Towards a Developmental Pedagogy of the Global African Diaspora,” New Directions in the Humanities, Sorbonne Université, Faculté des Lettres, Paris, France (June 28, 2023)
“Freedom-Makers: Maroons and the Underground Railroad in Guilford Woods,” Juneteenth commemoration, ImprovScience, Let’s Learn!: The World as Classroom, African American and African Diaspora Studies, UNC Greensboro, Guilford Woods, Greensboro, NC (June 25, 2023)
“Breathing Freedom: African Americans in Granville County since the Nineteenth Century,” Juneteenth commemoration, Granville County Public Library, Thornton Library, Oxford, NC (June 17, 2023)
“Freedom-Makers: Maroons and the Underground Railroad in Guilford Woods,” Juneteenth commemoration, Guilford Green Foundation and Jewish Federation, Guilford Woods, Greensboro, NC (June 4, 2023)
“Joara: Archeology at the Intersection of Native American and Afro-Eurasian History,” Emeritus Society-Lifelong Learning Special Lecture, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (April 21, 2023)
“Democracy, Social Justice, and Elections in a Global Context,” Let’s Learn! The World as Classroom, Lloyd International Honors College, UNC Greensboro, and The East Side Institute (April 5, 2023)
“Kandake Amanirenas: Les Africains dans le Monde Gréco-Romain Antique,” Club d’Histoire Journée de Initiative Africaine de Saint Etienne, Saint-Étienne, France (March 12, 2023) link
“The Underground Railroad Tree: History, Ecology, Community,” Friendly Educators Homeschool Co-op, Guilford Woods, Greensboro, NC (February 17, 2023)
“The Underground Railroad Tree: History, Ecology, Community,” Tree Canopy Task Force, Greensboro Community Sustainability Council, Guilford Woods, Greensboro, NC (February 11, 2023)
“Rev. Andrew Young,” Black History Month Civil Rights Speaker Series, Introduction to conversation with Chancellor Franklin Gilliam, Jr., International Civil Rights Center & Museum, Greensboro, NC (February 8, 2023)
“Before Roanoke: Joara and Afro-Iberians in Early Colonial History,” History Club, Department of History, University of North Carolina at Greensboro (February 8, 2023)
“Race and Culture,” with Jerry Blakemore and Andrea Hunter, Lloyd International Honors College, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (February 1, 2023)
“The Underground Railroad Tree, Symbiosis, and our Shared Histories,” Guilford Green Foundation LGBTQ Center, Greensboro, NC (January 28, 2023)
“Democracy in a Global Context,” Emeritus Society-Lifelong Learning Spring Lecture, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (January 25, 2023)
“Global Africa Meets Global Asia,” Workshop and Roundtable, Henry Luce Foundation, New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (January 20, 2023)
“Africa and the African Diaspora in Zhenghe’s Indian Ocean World,” International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization and International Islamic University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (January 10, 2023)
2022
“The Independent Voter,” with Thom Reilly and Jacqueline Salit, Book Talk, Politics for the People: History and Politics from an Independent Perspective and IndependentVoting.org, New York City (December 7, 2022)
“Bilal Ibn Rabah and the Muezzin’s Call,” presentation and discussion, Educational Opportunities Tour, Southern Wall, Jerusalem, Israel (December 5, 2022)
“Leading by Following: Creatively Building with Others Through the Power of Play, Improvisation, and Practical Philosophy,” Echono-Wilson Leadership Seminar, Office of Global Partnerships-Africa, Morgan State University (November 15, 2022)
“Performance and Play in Academia: Building Culture and Community One Person at a Time,” Plenary Address, ‘Exploring Across Steam,’ Cultivating Ensembles, Improv Science, Ride Fly View, and UNC Greensboro Lloyd International Honors College (November 11, 2022) link
“The Independent Voter: Who Are They? What do they Want?” Book launch and roundtable, The Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy, Arizona State University, ASU Berrett and O’Connor Washington Center, Washington, D.C. (October 19, 2022)
“Voting for Power: A Brief History of Voters in the United States,” Department of History, Lloyd International Honors College, and the Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement, Graduate History Association, UNC Greensboro (October 13, 2022)
“The Powerful Pedagogy of Play,” Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program, International Programs Center, UNC Greensboro (October 6, 2022)
“Reflections on the ‘Black Tax’ and Ubuntu,” Roundtable, The Model African Union Bayreuth Conference 2022, Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies, University of Bayreuth, Germany (October 5, 2022)
“Thinking-Performing Environmentally: Creating Zones of Proximal Development,” Diversity and Inclusion Workshop, Department of Mathematics & Statistics, The College of Arts & Sciences, UNC Greensboro (October 5, 2022)
“Malik Ambar and the African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World,” Guest Lecture for African Studies and History seminar, Wesleyan College, Macon, GA (September 19, 2022)
“African-American History in North Carolina,” One High Point Commission to Explore Community Reparations for the African American Citizens of High Point, High Point City Council, NC (September 15, 2022) link
“Towards a Global History of Science: From Afro-Eurasia to the Americas,” Emeritus Society Fall Lecture, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (September 6, 2022)
“Realizando: Becoming Who You Want to Be by Creatively Emulating Others Being X, Y, or Z,” Campamento Hispano Abriendo Nuestro Camino a la Educación (CHANCE), UNC Greensboro (July 15, 2022)
“Juneteenth: A Historical Conversation,” with Dr. Jessie Fields, Roundtable, All Stars Virtual Performance Offering, All Stars Project, New York City (June 25, 2022)
“Black Populism Organized and Expressed: From the Post-Reconstruction South to Black Lives Matter, U.S.A,” Cluster of Excellence, Contestations of the Liberal Script, John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany (June 2, 2022)
“What is Populism?” with Dan Friedman, Let’s Learn!: The World as Classroom, Lloyd International Honors College and the East Side Institute, NY (April 10, 2022)
“Towards a Post-modernization of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion'” The Vanguard Virtual Series, Alumni Engagement, UNC Greensboro (April 2, 2022)
“Nohora Arrieta Fernandez: ‘Modos de Conocer/Modos de Fazer: Black Women Artists in Latin America'” facilitator, Lloyd International Honors College, African American & African Diaspora Studies, LLC, WGSS, and IGS, UNC Greensboro (March 30, 2022)
“So you got accepted. Now what?: Thinking Next Steps Developmentally” McNair Scholars Program discussion, UNC Greensboro (March 21, 2022)
“Women Rebels and Revolutionaries in World History: Kandake Amanirenas, Chand Bibi, Lenora Fulani,” Annual Rembert W. Patrick Lecture, Department of History, Guilford College, Greensboro, NC (March 16, 2022) link
“The Global Dimensions of Black History,” African American Studies, College of Arts & Sciences, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC (February 28, 2022)
“Afro-Latin America: History, Culture, and Politics,” with Monica Carrillo and Nodia Mena, Greensboro Public Library, NC (February 17, 2022)
“Black Liberty in World History: Freedom-Fighters Across the Global African Diaspora,” Lennox Seminar Lecture Series, Department of History, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX (February 16, 2022) link
“Race, Politics, & the Law from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean,” International Civil Rights Center & Museum and African American & African Diaspora Studies, UNC Greensboro (February 15, 2022)
2021
“Revisiting World History,” Exchange Program, East-West Center, Honolulu, HI (October 25, 2021) link
“Infusing Play and Improvisation,” Annual Leadership Conference, Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, The Carolina Theatre, NC (October 27, 2021) link
“Growing the Applied Improvisation Movement for Social Change,” with Rita Ezenwa-Okoro and Cathy Salit, virtual global conference, “What Comes Next?” The Applied Improvisation Network (October 21, 2021)
“Africans in India: Siddis in the Global African Diaspora,” with Jazmin Graves, African American & African Diaspora Studies, Conversation with the Community, Let’s Learn!: The World As Classroom, Islamic Studies Research Network, Lloyd International Honors College, UNC Greensboro (October 19, 2021)
“Black Populism Organized and Expressed: From the Post-Reconstruction South to Black Lives Matter,” Contemporary Contestations of Liberalism in the U.S.: Populism and Beyond, John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies at Freie Universität Berlin and University of Wyoming, SCRIPTS Cluster of Excellence, Germany-U.S. (October 15, 2021)
“Performance in Higher Ed: Sparking Creativity Within an Uncreative Box,” round-table discussion, Performing the World global conference, East Side Institute, New York (October 9, 2021)
“The Underground Railroad Tree: Networks of History and Ecology,” School of Social Work/Peace and Conflict Studies guest lecture, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro visit to the Guilford Woods, Greensboro, NC (September 27, 2021)
“A Historical Deconstruction of Critical Race Theory,” Emeritus Society Fall Lecture, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (September 13, 2021)
“Malik Ambar et la Diaspora Africaine dans l’Océan Indien,” l’Etat de la Diaspora Africaine, State of the African Diaspora, Saint-Denis, Réunion (July 3, 2021) link
“The Pandemic, Power, and Play: Creating and Improvisational Movement for Social Change,” with Cathy Salit and Rita Ezenwa-Okoro, Global Improvisational Initiative, Online Symposium, School of the Arts, University of California, Irvine (June 4, 2021)
“Populism, Labor, and Social Movements,” Roundtable, Labor and Working-Class History Association conference, University of Illinois at Chicago (May 28, 2021)
“Greensboro in World History,” International Museum Day Roundtable on Museums & Migration, Greensboro History Museum, Greensboro, NC (May 18, 2021) link
“Ghanaian Democracy: Melding Political Traditions and Practices,” Presentation for K-12 Educators, Social and Political Justice in Africa Series, UNC African Studies Center, UNC Chapel Hill (April 28, 2021) link
“Conceptualizations of Race, Blackness, and Identity in North Africa,” UNC Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies and the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (April 19, 2021)
“Co-Creating Inclusive Learning Environments,” with Dr. Carrie Lobman and Sue Davies, Language and Identity Speaker Series, School of Professional Studies, New York University (March 20, 2021)
“Creating New Performances: A Non-Epistemological Approach to ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’,'” The Vanguard Virtual Series, Alumni Engagement, UNCG (March 16, 2021) link
“Malik Ambar: Ethiopian Migration in World History,” Keynote address, “African Mobilities: the Means and Modalities of Movement(s) Within and Beyond Africa,” Southeast Regional Seminar in African Studies, UNC Chapel Hill (March 12, 2021) link
“In the Balance of Power: Independent Black Politics and Third Party Movements in the United States,” Book Talk, Politics for the People: History and Politics from an Independent Perspective, New York City (February 21, 2021) link
“Development in the Face of Racial Disparities,” Growing Young Men student organization, UNC Greensboro (February 17, 2021)
“Religion: Indian Ocean Currents,” Ashby Dialogue, College of Arts & Sciences, with Neelofer Qadir and Hewan Girma, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (February 17, 2021)
“Malik Ambar and Afro-South Asian Political Leadership in World History,” PSMO College, Calicut University, Kerala, India (February 1, 2021)
“Teaching the Indian Ocean World,” Roundtable on Pedagogy, The Indian Ocean World: Taking Stock, Looking Ahead, Indian Ocean World Conference, University of Virginia and Georgetown University (January 30, 2021) link
“African Americans in the Balance of Power: From the Black Populists to Black Lives Matter,” Emeritus Society, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (January 18, 2021)
2020
“African Rulers and Generals in India: From Abyssinia to the Deccan in the Early Modern Period,” Bangalore International Center, Bangalore, India (December 11, 2020) link
“Play, Development, and Social Justice: Power and Open-Ended Play in Higher Education,” with Sky Kihuwa-Mani, East Side Institute Webinar, New York City (December 6, 2020)
“Malik Ambar: Abyssinians in the Making of Afro-South Asia,” Indian Ocean Epistemologies and African-Asian Studies panel, African Studies Association annual meeting roundtable, Washington, D.C. (November 21, 2020)
“احسان و زكاة: An Ontological Shift?” Symposium on Muslim Philanthropy and Civil Society, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN (November 13, 2020) link
“The Spread of Islam into Africa and the Atlantic World,” Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies, Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, K-12 Teacher Training, Masjid Omar Ibn Sayyid, Fayetteville, NC (November 6, 2020)
“Chemistry’s Ancient to Modern History,” First-Year Chemistry and Biochemistry seminar guest presentation, UNC Greensboro (October 23, 2020)
“Lynching in Maryland: The Legacy of Lynching and the Power of the Black Vote,” Maryland Lynching Memorial Project Third Annual Conference, Lillie Carroll Jackson Civil Rights Museum, Morgan State University, and John Mitchell, Jr. Program for History, Justice, and Race, George Mason University, MD (October 16, 2020)
“The African Diaspora in World History,” History Club, Department of History, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (September 30, 2020)
“Populist Politics: Race, Youth, and Political Transformations,” convening and workshop, Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Race, University of Chicago (September 16, 2020) link
“Black Populism Organized and Expressed: From the Post-Reconstruction South to Black Lives Matter, U.S.A.,” Global Leadership Crisis, Rising Inequalities, and Culture Wars, John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies at Freie Universität Berlin (September 14, 2020)
“Philosophy, Science, and Race in World History,” Emeritus Society Fall Lecture, University of North Carolina at Greensboro (September 2, 2020) link
“Race and Racism in American History: A Forum,” Part 3, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (August 25, 2020) link
“Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment,” with Dr. Nadja B. Cech, Graduate Teaching Assistant training, The Graduate School, UNC Greensboro (August 10, 2020)
“Play, Experiment, Perform: Honors College as Playground,” Performing the World (July 26, 2020) link
“Race and Racism in American History: A Forum,” Part 2, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (July 21, 2020) link
“Performing in Higher Education: Creatively Emulating Others and Making Your Own,” Campamento Hispano Abriendo Nuestro Camino a la Educación, CHANCE Summer Camp, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (July 14, 2020)
“Race and Racism in American History: A Forum,” Part 1, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (June 25, 2020) link
“Return and Integration Challenges During and Post COVID-19,” moderated discussion, Global Research Forum on Migration and Transnationalism (June 9, 2020)
“History, Science, and Epistemology,” McNair Scholars Program discussion, UNC Greensboro (March 16, 2020)
“Understanding Black History as American History,” North Carolina Humanities Council, Lees McRae College, Banner Elk, NC (February 20, 2020)
“Afro-Latin American/LatinX Studies Project launch,” moderator at CACE conference, UNC Greensboro (February 19, 2020)
“Ethiopian and East African Studies Project ,” panelist, CACE conference, UNC Greensboro (February 19, 2020)
“Learning New Ways of Being … by Being those Things,” Junior Scholars Day, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, (February 17, 2020)
“Reforming the International Baccalaureate,” Panel moderated by the Education Attaché, French Embassy, Washington, D.C. (February 12, 2020)
“Reading Back ‘n Black Stories of Freedom in World History: Maroons from the Afro-Greco-Roman World to Right Here, Right Now,” Plenary on Unfreedom, Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Arizona State University, Tempe (February 6, 2020) link
Black Muslim Atlantic symposium, respondent to Sylviane Diouf keynote “Islam and the Blues,” Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University and Duke Islamic Studies Center, African and African American Studies, Asian and Middle East Studies, Religious Studies, and the Franklin Humanities Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC (January 30, 2020) link
“Malik Ambar: Abyssinian Defender of India’s Deccan,” Department of Africana Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, UNC Charlotte (January 22, 2020) link
“Elemental Play/Playing with Elements: Science and Chemistry in World History,” with Dr. Nadja Cech, Emeritus Society, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Holy Trinity Church, Greensboro, NC (January 15, 2020)
2019
“Public Presentations on the African Diaspora: Teaching and Museums,” Roundtable, Remembrance, Renaissance, Revolution: The Meaning of Freedom in the African World Over Time and Space, Association for the Study of the Worldwide African Diaspora, ASWAD, The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA (November 8, 2019) link
“Thriving in the Workplace Through the Power of Performance, Play, and Improvisation,” Human Resources, Professional Development Workshop, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (October 21; November 4)
“Future Approaches to History and Reconciliation,” facilitator, History and Reconciliation: A Community Symposium, National Communication Center, Beloved Community Center, Department of Communication Studies, UNC Greensboro, Greensboro History Museum (October 26, 2019) link
“Islam, like Love, is an Activity,” Islam Around the World, Muslim Student Association, UNC Greensboro (October 25, 2019)
“So, a Historian and a Chemist meet at the intersection of Green Street and Research Drive …” with Dr. Nadja Cech, Conducting Research in the Digital Age: Humanities and STEM Perspectives on the Environment, Jackson Library, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (August 6, 2019)
“Understanding Black History as American History,” North Carolina Humanities Council, Granville Museum, Oxford, NC (July 19, 2019)
“Improv, Performing, and Code-Switching,” Campamento Hispano Abriendo Nuestro Camino a la Educación, CHANCE Summer Camp, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (July 16, 2019)
“Understanding Black History as American History,” North Carolina Humanities Council and Orange County Historical Museum, Hillsborough, NC (May 5, 2019) link
“Chemistry’s Ancient to Modern History,” First-Year Chemistry and Biochemistry seminar guest presentation, UNC Greensboro (April 29, 2019)
Emcee for “Ignite!” TEDx UNC Greensboro, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (April 12, 2019)
“The Many Faces of Islam,” Central Carolina Community College, North Carolina Humanities Council, Sanford, NC (April 11, 2019) link
“Immigrants and the City,” Greensboro: The World Through a City lecture and discussion series moderation, Lloyd International Honors College, UNC Greensboro and Greensboro History Museum (April 10, 2019)
“Towards a Practice of Becoming: Making and Re-Making History Moment-by-Moment” Leading for an Inclusive Campus Annual Conference, Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement and Office of Intercultural Engagement, UNC Greensboro (March 30, 2019)
“An Afro-Mediterranean World?: Libyans, Egyptians and Ethiopians in Greco-Roman History and Literature,” with Dr. Rebecca Muich, Emeritus Society, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (March 25, 2019)
“Independent Voters, Populism, and Partisanship,” keynote, North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership, Greensboro, NC (March 23, 2019)
“Malik Ambar in World History,” Guest lecture on African History, Georgian Court University, Lakewood, New Jersey (February 28, 2019)
“Maroonage Across the Global African Diaspora: From Candace Amanirenas to Benkos Biohó,” Dimensions of Diaspora in the Americas panel, Inaugural North Carolina Conference on Latin American Studies, Institute for the Study of the Americas, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (February 22, 2019) link
“African American History and the City,” Greensboro: The World Through a City lecture and discussion series moderation, Lloyd International Honors College, UNC Greensboro and Greensboro History Museum (February 21, 2019)
“Identity, Appropriation, and Black History,” panel conversation, African American and African Diaspora Studies Program, UNC Greensboro (Feb 18, 2019)
“Teaching Africans in the Indian Ocean World through Primary Sources, Paintings, and Performance,” University Art Gallery, University of Pittsburgh, PA (February 16, 2019)
“Abyssinian Slaves, Soldier, and Saints in South Asia,” opening of exhibit of Africans in India: From Slaves to Generals and Rulers, Frick Fine Arts Museum and Asia Studies Center, University of Pittsburgh, PA (February 15, 2019) link
“Africa in the Greco-Roman World,” with Dr. Rebecca Muich, Conversation with the Community, Program in African American & African Diaspora Studies, Department of Classics, and Lloyd International Honors College, UNC Greensboro (February 12, 2019)
“Teaching through Thought Experiments: Race, Gender, and Voting Rights in the United States,” Lycée Rochambeau, Bethesda, Maryland (February 7, 2019)
“The Guilford Woods and the Underground Railroad,” guest presentation, Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UNC Greensboro (January 25, 2019)
2018
“Monday Play!” with Honors and Financial Aid, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (December 3, 2018)
“Africa and the Global African Diaspora,” Guest lecture, Introduction to African American Studies, Program in African American & African Diaspora Studies, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (November 12, 2018)
“Performing Docent Extraordinaire,” performance and improvisation workshop, Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC (November 12, 2018)
“Play, Development, and Social Justice,” East Side Institute Webinar, New York City, NY (November 11, 2018)
“Using the Power of Play to Create Developmental Learning Environments,” National Collegiate Honors Council Annual Conference, Boston, MA (November 10, 2018)
“The Many Faces of Islam: A Global Historical View,” Islam Around the World, Muslim Student Association, UNC Greensboro (October 26, 2018)
“Afro-Latinx Dialogue,” Zeta Omega Chapter, Lambda Theta Alpha, UNC Greensboro (October 25, 2018)
“Dr. Lenora Fulani: ‘Growing Up Black and Poor in America'” The 1960s: Exploring the Limits, Lloyd International Honors College, UNC Greensboro (October 24, 2018)
“Greensboro in Poetry & Play: Where Are We From, Where Are Going?” with Tiera Moore and Domonique Edwards, Performing the World Conference, New York, NY (September 22, 2018) link
“Dialogue Across Disciplines with Alan Alda,” co-facilitated with Dr. Nadja Cech, Medicinal Chemistry Collaborative and Lloyd International Honors College, UNC Greensboro, September 21, 2018)
“Africa and Islam in World History,” Emeritus Society, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (September 17, 2018) link
“Africa and the Global African Diaspora,” Guest lecture, Introduction to African American Studies, Program in African American & African Diaspora Studies, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (September 14, 2018)
“Bilal’s Songs: Mixing and Re-Mixing the African Diaspora and the Islamic World,” with Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi, Islamic Studies Research Network, African American & African Diaspora Studies, Lloyd International Honors College, Muslim Students Association, Humanities Network Consortium, UNC Greensboro (September 10, 2018) link
“Islam in the Indian Ocean World,” Guest lecture, Town and Country in the Medieval Islamic World, Department of History, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (September 6, 2018)
“Familiar Faces, Unexpected Places: A Global African Diaspora,” Documentary film screening and discussion, International Civil Rights Center & Museum, Lloyd International Honors College and AADS, Greensboro, NC (September 4, 2018) link
“Nubia and Rome: Candace Amanirenas and Imperial Resistance,” Guest lecture, Program in African American & African Diaspora Studies, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (August 30, 2018)
“Using Play and Performance to Create Connectivity,” Faculty Retreat presentation and workshop, School of Nursing, UNC Greensboro (August 8, 2018)
“Teaching-Learning World History,” Keynote Address, Unpacking the New Passport to Social Studies, Global History and Geography, New York City Department of Education, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, New York (July 17, 2018)
“Congolese Play and Performance,” Legacy Crossing, Greensboro, NC (June 23, 2018)
“Building and Re-Building Community,” Ramadan Community Dinner, City of High Point Community Relations Commission, Interfaith Committee, the Divan Center, and the Community Mosque of High Point, High Point, NC (June 20, 2018)
“Creating Developmental Learning Environments: Multicultural Education in the Classroom,” Faculty Academy, Guilford Technical Community College, Jamestown, NC (June 4, 2018)
“The Muslim Next Door” Film Premiere Screening panel discussion with Chris Brook, Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, National Geographic and International Civil Rights Center and Museum, Greensboro, NC (May 22, 2018)
“Black History as American History,” Granville County Senior Center and the North Carolina Humanities Council, Oxford, NC (May 18, 2018)
“At Play: Notes from the Field,” Play, Perform, Learn, Grow Conference, Anatolia College, Thessaloniki, Greece (April 14, 2018)
“History Talks! ‘Malik Ambar: Power and Slavery Across the Indian Ocean,'” New York City Department of Education, National Archives at New York City, New York, NY (April 12, 2018) link
“Remarks on Creating and Performing Stories in the Humanities and Sciences,” National Humanities Center, Lloyd International Honors College, Medicinal Chemistry Collaborative, Research Triangle Park, NC (April 7, 2018) link
“International Scholars Discuss Africa-India Relationship,” Duke Today (April 6, 2018) link
“Personalizing Ethiopia-India in the Early Modern Era” Africa-India Conference, Duke University, Durham, NC (April 3, 2018)
“‘Xuala’: Native American, Spanish, and African Interactions in the New World,” Social Studies Teacher Professional Development, Guilford County Public Schools, Greensboro, NC (March 20, 2018) link
“Independents, Political Culture, and Structural Reform,” keynote, North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership, Greensboro, NC (March 10, 2018)
“Play, Experiment, Perform!” University hStaff Senate presentation, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (March 8, 2018)
“Africa in World History,” Guest Lecture AP World History, Fairfax High School, Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, VA (March 7, 2018)
“Black Populism, African Americans, and Independent Politics,” Ashby Lecture, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (March 2, 2018)
“The Possibilities and Limitations of Malik Ambar’s Spiritual and Religious Practices,” Religiosity and Resilience: Islam in the African Diaspora Symposium, Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago, IL (February 24, 2018)
“Malik Ambar, the African Diaspora, and Islam in the Indian Ocean World,” Department of History, California State University, Long Beach, CA (February 20, 2018)
“Black History as American History,” Black History Month presentation, David D. Jones Elementary School, Greensboro, NC (February 16, 2018)
“The Origins and Development of Black History Month,” Crossroads Program, Guilford County Schools, Greensboro, NC (February 12, 2018)
“Familiar Faces, Unexpected Places: A Global African Diaspora” discussion, International Decade for People of African Descent, 2015-2024, United Nations, New York (February 8, 2018) link
“Congolese and Greensboro Play,” Legacy Crossing Community Center, The Center for New North Carolinians, NC (February 3, 2018)
“Garifunas in the African Diaspora,” with Nodia Mena, Humanities Enrichment Lecture Series, Forsyth Technical Community College, Winston -Salem, NC (January 24, 2018)
“Practicing ‘Yes, and’ to teach Africa in World History,” panel on “Race, Place, and Nation in the Early Modern World: a Pedagogical Roundtable,” sponsored by the Sixteenth Century Journal and the World History Association, American Historical Association Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C. (January 7, 2018) link
2017
“The Emergence of an Anti-Partisan Politics?” Open Primaries National Forum and Round Table, Morrison Institute for Public Policy, Arizona State University, Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy, University of Southern California, IndependentVoting.org, and OpenPrimaries.org, Phoenix, AZ (December 15, 2017) link
“Experiential Learning and the Liberal Arts in the 21st Century,” Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA (December 4, 2017)
“Afro-Latin America and the Making of the Ibero-Atlantic World,” Mi Placita Latinx Coalition (UNCG Spanish America Latinx Student Association, Spanish Club, Ritmo Latino, Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority, Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, UNCG Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, PC of Lambda Theta Alpha Sorority), The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (November 16, 2017)
“The Middle East, Islam, and World History,” International Festival speaker, Guilford Technical Community College, NC (November 13, 2017)
“Islam and the African Diaspora” Guest Lecture, Introduction to Islam, Department of Religious Studies, College of Arts & Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (November 13, 2017)
“Increasing Diversity in Honors from the Inside Out,” 52nd National Collegiate Honors Council Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA (November 10, 2017) link
“Independents, Political Culture, and Structural Reform,” North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership, Greensboro, NC (October 21, 2017) link
“What do we Mean by ‘Diversity’ and Why is it Important?’ Facilitator of the Inaugural Diversity and Inclusion Diversity Symposium, Unity Enrichment Committee, U.S. District Courthouse, Greensboro, NC (September 29, 2017)
“Resistance to 16th century Iberian Expansion in the Carolinas: At the intersection of Indian, Spanish, and African Encounters,” The History Museum of Burke County, Morganton, NC (September 15, 2017) link
“Community Play!” Guest presentation, Ethnomusicology, College of Visual and Performing Arts, UNCG (September 12, 2017)
“Reimagining Africa,” Keynote Address, African Student Organizations of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC (September 1, 2017)
“Organize or be Organized,” Honors Ambassadors, Lloyd International Honors College, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (August 26, 2017)
“Honors and Developmental Experiential Learning,” The Asheville School visit to The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (August 24, 2017)
“Engaged Learning,” presentation with Nadja B. Cech, Faculty Mentoring Workshop, University Teaching and Learning Commons, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC (August 11, 2017)
“Becoming,” Sankofa Rites of Passage Ceremony, Black Graduate Student Association, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (April 29, 2017)
“Quienes somos los Latinos?” keynote address, Notable Latinos of the Triad Gala, Greensboro, NC (April 21, 2017).
“Islam, Identity, and the ‘Yes, and’ Revolution,” Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Greensboro, NC (April 18, 2017)
“Malik Ambar and the Making of the African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World,” The Charles B. Wang Center Lecture Series, The State University of New York at Stony Brook, Long Island, NY (April 13, 2017)
“Abyssinians in India: Malik Ambar and the Western Indian Ocean World,” SISAAS Colloquium, Armour J. Blackburn Center, Howard University, Washington, D.C. (April 8, 2017)
“Being Black, Female, and Independent: Fulani and the Legal Barriers to the Ballot for Independents,” Guest Lecture, ‘Race, Gender, and the Law,’ Honors Seminar, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (April 4, 2017)
“Becoming a Mentor,” Faculty Mentoring Workshop, co-led with Dr. Nadja Cech, Teaching Innovations Office, University Teaching and Learning Center, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (April 3, 2017)
“‘The Big Jobs are Connected by the Little Jobs'” keynote address, Emerging Leaders 2017: Local Leadership for Lasting Change Conference, Joseph M. Bryan School of Business, UNCG (April 1, 2017) link
“‘Performing’ University Student,” Parent and Family Session, Destination UNCG, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (March 25, 2017)
“Many Journeys, Many Stories: With Liberty and Justice for All,” Celebratory address, Naturalization ceremony for new U.S. Citizens, U.S. District Court, Greensboro, NC (February 24, 2017)
“Community Play!/All Stars Project,” Opening Presentation, Conference on African American and African Diasporic Cultures and Experience, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (February 21, 2017) link
“Diversity and Global Engagement Expo: Building Intercultural Connections,” Jackson Library, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (February 16, 2017) link
“Angola and Queen Ana Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba,” Crossroads Program, Guilford County Schools, Greensboro, NC (February 3, 2017)
“The Many Faces of Islam,” Lunch Speakers Series, Greensboro Lecture League, Greensboro, NC (February 2, 2017)
“Beyond the Black Atlantic: Expanding ‘African Diaspora’ into the Indian Ocean World,” Guest Presentation, Department of Communication Studies, UNCG, Greensboro, NC (February 1, 2017)
“Leadership Greensboro: Diversity Day,” Facilitator, Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, International Civil Rights Center & Museum, Greensboro, NC (January 31, 2017)
“Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration: An Evening with DeRay McKesson,” Facilitator, UNC-Greensboro and NC A&T State University, Greensboro, NC (January 18, 2017)
2016
“The Many Faces of Islam: Beyond the Headlines,” North Carolina State University, Office of Diversity Affairs, and Road Scholar Program, North Carolina Humanities Council (December 7, 2016) link
“Thriving in a ‘Multicultural’ Nation by Performing Curious,” Third Annual Fall Conference, Center for Advanced Academics, Brown Summit Middle School, Guilford County Schools, Brown Summit, NC (November 18, 2016)
“Faith, Identity, and May the Force be With You!,” First Presbyterian Church, Greensboro, NC (November 17, 2016)
“Public Policy, Education, and Independents,” Morrison Institute for Public Policy, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ (November 16, 2016) link
“Breaking out of Identities,” Looking for Identities Conference, Keker First Year Common Read and Global Engagement, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (November 11, 2016)
“Africa, Trade, and the Afro-Indian Ocean World,” guest lecture for Digital Silk Road, Guilford College, Greensboro, NC (November 11, 2016)
“Innovations in Pedagogical Practices in Higher Education,” Guangdong Ocean University Teacher Training Program, International Programs Center, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (November 8, 2016)
“Islam in History and the World Today,” Global Distinction Speaker, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Salisbury, NC (October 18, 2016)
“Malik Ambar: Power and Slavery Across the Indian Ocean,” Conversations with the Community, African American and African Diaspora Studies Program, Islamic Studies Research Network, and Lloyd International Honors College, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (October 4, 2016)
“The Art and Science of Teaching and Mentoring,” with Nadja B. Cech, Seminar on Professional Development, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (September 30, 2016)
“Connecting the Middle East to the Southeast,” K-12 Educators, Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle Eastern Studies, Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations, Guilford County Schools, Greensboro, NC (August 16, 2016)
“‘Obuchenie,’ Play, and the Practice of Method,” Teacher Assistant workshop, The Graduate School, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (August 12, 2016)
“The Power of Play and Improvisation in Building Relationships,” Lunch Keynote Address, The North Carolina Triad Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Kernersville, NC (June 28, 2016) link
“Yes, And: The Two most Powerful Words,” Keynote Address, Sweet Tea Tour, Southern Association for College Admissions Counseling, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (June 7, 2016) link
“Making the Macro Personal,” Graduation speaker, Department of Peace & Conflict Studies, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (May 5, 2016)
“Afro-Latin America and the Global African Diaspora,” Department of Geography, Elon University, Elon, NC (April 28, 2017)
“Pedagogy of Play,” Guest Presentation, Graduate Professional Seminar, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, School of Health and Human Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (April 25, 2016)
“Improvising for Resiliency,” UNCG University Relations Staff Retreat, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, NC (April 20, 2016)
“Colonization and De-Colonization in the Modern World,” Social Studies Teacher Professional Development, Guilford County Public Schools, Greensboro, NC (April 7, 2016)
“The Many Faces of Islam: Beyond the Headlines,” Road Scholar Program, North Carolina Humanities Council, Chatham Community Library, Pittsboro, NC (March 31, 2016)
“Transforming the Workplace through the Power of Play,” Human Resource professional development workshop, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (March 21, March 28, & April 4, 2015)
“The Follow-up,” Hot Topics in Higher Education Conference, Division of Student Affairs Professional Development Committee, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (March 7, 2016)
“African Migration Across the Indian Ocean World,” Forum: Migrations Throughout History, History Department and Lloyd International Honors College, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (February 29, 2016) link
“‘Race’: A Function of Power,” TEDxUNC, ‘Bodies: Being Human,’ Chapel Hill, NC (February 27, 2016) link
“Black History as American History,” Black History Month presentation, Granville County Public Library, Thornton Library, Oxford, NC (February 27, 2016) link
“Honors at UNCG Leading World-Class Innovation: Cultivating Creativity and Learning through the Pedagogy of Play,” Excellence Foundation, Greensboro, NC (February 25, 2016)
“The Many Faces of Islam: Beyond the Headlines,” Road Scholar Program, North Carolina Humanities Council, Pfeiffer University, Misenheimer, NC (February 19, 2016)
“The Global African Diaspora,” Greensboro Day School Black History Month Lecture, Greensboro, NC (February 18, 2016)
“Pre-Columbian African Civilizations and Migration,” Black History Before America: A Community Forum, Cumberland Public Library and Information Center, Fayetteville, NC (February 8, 2016)
“African Maroons in Seventeenth Century Colombia: Benkos Biohó and the Making of Palenque,” Marronage Conference, The College of Charleston, The Program in the Carolina Lowcountry and Atlantic World, Charleston, SC (February 5, 2015) link
“Understanding Black History as American History,” Road Scholar Program, North Carolina Humanities Council, Black History Month Committee, Elon University, Burlington, NC (February 4, 2016)
“Enlightenment and the Revolutions of the Atlantic World,” Social Studies Teacher Professional Development, Guilford County Public Schools, Greensboro, NC (February 4, 2016)
“Ask a Muslim Anything,” Scuppernong Books, panel discussion, Greensboro, NC (February 2, 2016) link
“Sense of Security/Reality of Risk,” moderated discussion, TEDxGreensboroSalon, Greensboro, NC (January 27, 2016) link
“Islam in Practice: Servants, Soldiers, and Sufis,” English-Speaking Union of the United States, Sandhills Branch gala, Pinehurst, NC (January 13, 2016)
“Muslim-Americans: A Brief History of Islam in the United States,” First Presbyterian Church, Greensboro, NC (January 11, 2016)
“Creating Community on Campus through the Power of Play,” Rotary Club of Greensboro, Greensboro, NC (January 6, 2016)
2015
“Engaging the Global Community to Enhance Research,” School of Education Research Symposium, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (November 13, 2015)
“The Meanings of Diversity on Campus,” Faculty Assembly, School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (November 11, 2015) link
“The Cultures of Islam,” Islam Around the World, Muslim Student Association and Student Government Association, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (October 28, 2015)
“Understanding Metaphors for History in Fiction,” Crossroads Program, Guilford County Schools, Greensboro, NC (October 9, 2015)
“Say Hello to Your Neighbor,” First Annual Peace Festival, International Civil Rights Center and Museum, Greensboro, NC (September 19, 2015)
“Culture Shock,” One City: Where Cultures Meet panel presentation, Greensboro Public Library (September 13, 2015)
“Benkos Biohó: Palenque de San Basilio in 17th-Century New Granada,” Maroons Revisted: History and Stories, Lapidus Center for the Historical Analysis of Transatlantic Slavery, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library (June 11, 2015) link
“Code-Switching and Play: Tools for Learning and Growth in a Global World,” Global Engagement Summer Institute, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (May 14, 2015)
“What’s in a Name?: Islam, History, and Identity,” TEDxGreensboro, ‘Spark,’ Triad Stage, Greensboro, North Carolina (May 7, 2015) link
“Passion and Compassion,” Guest Speaker, Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, Greensboro, NC (May 3, 2015) link
“Navigating the Workplace though the Power of Play,” Human Resource professional development workshop, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (April 22, 2015)
“UNCG Police and African Americans,” Campus Conversation facilitator, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (April 15, 2015)
“Understanding Black History as American History,” Road Scholar Lecture, North Carolina Humanities Council and Friends of the Caswell County Public Library, Yanceyville, NC (April 13, 2015)
“Being Black and a Police Officer: A Conversation about the Subjectivity and Material Realities of Policing as an African American,” with Officer Kenneth Wilson, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (March 31, 2015)
“The Challenges of Diversity in Public History and Museum Studies,” Presentation, Department of History, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (March 26, 2015)
“Afro-Latin America: The Circum-Caribbean and South America,” Lecture for The Carter G. Woodson School, Winston-Salem, NC (March 17, 2015)
“The Many Faces of Islam,” Road Scholar Lecture, North Carolina Humanities Council, Sandhills Community College, Pinehurst, NC (March 4, 2015)
“Black Lives Matter: Michael Brown, Ferguson, and Police,” Guest Speaker, Social Justice Research Group, Counseling and Education Development Program, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (February 26, 2015)
“Africa and Development,” Guest Lecture, Introduction to International and Global Studies, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (February 19, 2015)
“Creating Community Together in the Face of Tragedy,” Campus Community Dialogue Series, Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in collaboration with the Division of Student Affairs and African American & African Diaspora Studies, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (February 12, 2015)
“Globalizing Black History: Africa, India, and Latin America,” Featured Speaker, Celebration of Black History Through Art, Dance, Music, and Theatre, Western Guilford High School, Greensboro, NC (February 6, 2015)
“Paris, Islam, and Race,” Presentation and conversation sponsored by the Islamic Studies Research Network, Department of History, African American & African Diaspora Studies Program, Department of Religious Studies, and the Muslim Student Association, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (February 3, 2015)
“Vygotsky, Play, and Performance,” Lunch Presentation, Department of Athletics, Alumni House, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (January 28, 2015)
“Race in World History,” Guest Lecture, Communication Studies: African American Culture and Identity, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (January 22, 2015)
“Diversity and Global Engagement Expo: Creating New Conversations,” Moderator, University Libraries, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (January 15, 2015)
2014
“North Carolina’s Independents: Unaffiliated Voters and the 2014 Midterm Election,” Fearrington Democratic Club, Pittsboro, NC (December 2, 2014) link
“Diversity and Pedagogy in the Classroom,” Facilitator, Diversity Initiatives, The College of Arts & Sciences (November 19, 2014)
“Black Amerindians: African-Native American Histories Across the Americas,” lecture sponsored by the Native American Student Association, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (November 4, 2014)
“Working at Play, Playing at Work: Developing Your Improvisation Skills,” Human Resource Services professional development workshop, The University of North Carolina, Greensboro (October 22, 2014)
“Improvisation and Play in the Workplace,” conference presentation for Performing the World 2014: How Shall We Become?, East Side Institute, New York, NY (October 29, 2014)
“Creating Learning/Development: Holzman on Vygotsky,” Crossroads Program, Guilford County Schools, Greensboro, NC (October 20, 2014)
“Improvisation and Play in the Workplace,” conference presentation for Performing the World 2014: How Shall We Become?, East Side Institute, New York, NY (October 10, 2014)
“Ethiopians in India: Malik Ambar and the Abyssinians of the Deccan during the 16th and 17th centuries,” Faculty Seminar presentation, The University of North Carolina at Wilmington (September 12, 2014) link
“The Global African Diaspora in the 17th Century: Peru, India, and Virginia,” Conversations with the Community, African American & African Diaspora Studies Program, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (September 9, 2014)
“The Political Economy of Rural Black Debt in the Post-Reconstruction South,” guest lecture for the Kenan Institute for Ethics, Duke Divinity School, Duke University, Durham, NC (September 2, 2014)
“‘African’ Identity-Formations” guest lecture for Spanish Literature II, Patriarchy and Slavery in the Spanish Caribbean, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (August 26, 2014)
“Isabel Wilkerson: The Warmth of Other Suns,” Discussant, Politics for the People Book Club, New York City (July 17, 2014) link
“On to the Next Performance: Stretching and Growing,” graduation remarks, Crossroads Program, Guilford County Schools, Greensboro, NC (June 13, 2014)
“Independents and Voting Rights in North Carolina,” educational discussion sponsored by the AFS Club at UNCG, Greensboro, NC (April 23, 2014)
“A Quiet Revolution: The Veil’s Resurgence, From the Middle East to America,” Muslim Journeys, Let’s Talk About it Book Talk Series, North Carolina Humanities Council and Braswell Memorial Library, Rocky Mount, North Carolina (April 17, 2014)
“Africans in Southwest Asia: On the Meaning of ‘Kaffir,'” Roundtable Discussion, Africa Conference, The University of Texas, Austin (April 5, 2014)
“Using Improvisation to Create Developmental Conversations in the Workplace,” Human Resource Services professional development workshop, University of North Carolina, Greensboro (March 26, April 9 and 23, 2014)
“The Roots of Urban Black Poverty,” lecture sponsored by th Pan-African Coalition and African American Studies Club, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (March 25, 2014)
“Islam and Asian Trade,” Arab and Islamic Cultures Seminar, Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations, North Carolina Geographic Alliance, and the African Studies Center, UNC, Chapel Hill (March 22, 2014)
“The Columbia Sourcebook of Muslims in the United States,” Muslim Journeys, Let’s Talk About It Book Talk Series, North Carolina Humanities Council and Braswell Memorial Library, Rocky Mount, North Carolina (March 20, 2014)
“Prince Among Slaves,” Muslim Journeys, Let’s Talk About It Book Talk Series, North Carolina Humanities Council and Braswell Memorial Library, Rocky Mount, North Carolina (March 13, 2014)
“Community and History: A Philosophical Exploration,” Crossroads Program, Guilford County Schools, Greensboro, NC (March 11, 2012)
“Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863 and the March on Washington, 1963,” The American Library Association, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Museum of American History, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Gunn Memorial Public Library, North Carolina (March 2, 2014)
“Campus Community Dialogue on Hate Speech,” facilitator, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (February 24, 2014)
“The Emancipation Proclamation: From Preserving the Union to Black Liberation,” Piedmont Community College, Gunn Memorial Public Library, and North Carolina Humanities Council, Caswell County Historic Courthouse, North Carolina (February 20, 2014)
“The African Diaspora as World History: A 17th-century perspective from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic,” Department of Social Sciences, Winston Salem State University (February 3, 2014) link
2013
“Black Diasporas in the Indian Ocean World: ‘African Unity’ in the Longue Durée,” Dialogues on East Africa and African Unity at Fifty, African, African American, and Diaspora Studies Forum, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (November 18, 2013)
“On Stage: Work and Play,” Human Resource Services professional development workshop, University of North Carolina, Greensboro (November 6, 20; December 6, 2013)
“Towards a Comparative African Diaspora History: Abyssinians in Peru and India during the 17th century,” Beyond the Boundaries African History Conference, The University of North Carolina at Wilmington (October 12, 2013)
“San Martin de Porres and the Afro-Peruvian Community,” Lloyd International Honors College, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (September 25, 2013)
“Creating New Conversations about Violence,” Southern Atlantic States Association of Asian and African Studies and the Elon Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society, Elon, NC (September 21, 2013)
“The Fight for Freedom: Women in the Civil Rights Movement,” Dinner Talk, Summer Institute, Civic Education Consortium, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (June 19, 2013)
“Muslim Journeys: Exploring the History of Islam,” Lead Scholar presentation, Summer Institute, North Carolina Humanities Council, Chapel Hill, NC (June 16, 2013)
“Dr. Lenora B. Fulani: The Development Line,” guest lecture, International Civil Rights Center and Museum, Greensboro, NC (May 30, 2013) (See Fulani’s “The Development Line” paper)
“Professional Development through Performance and Play,” Human Resource Services, University of North Carolina, Greensboro (May 24 and 31, 2013)
“Malik Ambar and the African Diaspora of the Indian Ocean World,” guest lecture for Islamic History and Civilization, 1200 C.E.-present, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (April 15, 2013)
“Marilyn Lott and the Woolworth Sit-In: A Women’s College Perspective,” Public Conversation, International Civil Rights Center and Museum, African American Studies Program and History Department, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC (April 12, 2013)
“Independent Voters and Culture Change,” Democracy North Carolina, Winston-Salem, NC (April 10, 2013)
“In the Lion’s Mouth: Black Populism in the New South,” Book Talk, Multicultural Resource Center, University of North Carolina, Greensboro (April 9, 2013)
“On Stage with American History: Learning and Growing through Improvisation,” Crossroads Program, Guilford County Schools, Greensboro, NC (March 15, 2012)
“Islam in Contemporary America,” Office of Multicultural Affairs and Muslim Student Association, University of North Carolina, Greensboro (February 26, 2013)
“Changing Our Culture by Changing Our Performance,” panel discussion, National Conference of Independents, IndependentVoting.org, New York, NY (February 16, 2013)
“The Many Faces of Islam: Beyond the Headlines,” Road Scholars Program, North Carolina Humanities Council, Wayne County Public Library, Goldsboro, NC (February 2, 2013)
“W.E. B. DuBois: Black Political Independent,” W.E.B. DuBois & the Problem(s) of the 21st Century Conference, Department of African & Afro-American Studies, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (February 1, 2013)
“Encouraging Creativity and Play: Developmental Education for the 21st Century” Keynote Address, “Education: Cure for Poverty, Ignorance, and Disunity” dinner, Divan Cultural Center, Greensboro, NC (January 26, 2013)
“North Carolina and the National Independent Political Movement,” North Carolina Independents chapter meeting, Durham Public Library, Durham, NC (January 5, 2013)
2012
“Marcus Garvey: Teaching Africa in World History,” Crossroads Program, Guilford County Schools, Greensboro, NC (December 18, 2012)
“The Power of Independent Voters in Public Policy-Making: A Historical Perspective,” American Society for Public Administration, Piedmont Triad Chapter Luncheon, Greensboro, NC (December 13, 2012)
“Relating to Independents as Independents,” Redesigning Democracy Summit, Institute for Emerging Issues, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (December 9, 2012)
“Helen Suzman: South African Freedom Fighter,” International Civil Rights Center and Museum, Greensboro, NC (December 1, 2012)
“Independents Rising and the 2012 Election: A Public Conversation,” College Independents, Black Student Union, Department of Political Science, NC Independents, UNC-Greensboro (October 30, 2012)
“Independent Voters, Culture Change, and the Quest for a Post-Partisan America,” Presentation to the College Advancement Council Dinner, College of Arts & Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (October 28, 2012)
“Exploring Al Jahiz’s ‘The Book of the Pride of the Blacks Over the Whites,'” Diasporas and ‘Race’ Conference, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC (October 26, 2012)
“Who Controls the Ballot Box? Voting Rights in North Carolina,” History Department, African American Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, UNC-Greensboro (October 24, 2012)
“Democracy and Development,” Civil Society and National Security workshop presentation, Hoover Institution, Washington, D.C. (October 23, 2012)
“”Exploring Early Modern Black Leadership from Latin America to the Indian Subcontinent,” Conference on African American Culture and Experience, University of North Carolina, Greensboro (October 19, 2012)
“College Independents, the Black Electorate, and the 2012 Election,” Conversations with the Community, African American Studies Program, UNC-Greensboro (October 9, 2012)
“Performance and Play: Tools for Development and Growth in the Professional World,” Black Business Student Association, UNC-Greensboro (October 4, 2012)
“Africa, Islam, and Deconstructing ‘The white man’s burden,”” New York Times Talk, Office of Learning Communities, University of North Carolina, Greensboro (September 19, 2012)
“History, Africa, and Islam in the Making of the Modern World: A Postmodern Philosophical Exploration,” Diversity Lecture Series, Office of Multicultural Student Development, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC (September 18, 2012)
“In the Balance of Power: Independent Black Politics and Third Party Movements in the United States,” Campus Conversations Book Talk, Black Faculty and Staff Association, University of North Carolina, Greensboro (September 13, 2012)
“Understanding Black History as American History,” North Carolina Humanities Council and Transylvania Heritage Museum, Brevard, NC (May 19, 2012)
“The Making of the African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean,” Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Towson, MD (May 15, 2012)
“Islam and the African Diaspora: A Brief History,” Islamic Center of Greensboro, NC (May 6, 2012)
“Independent Voters and the Presidential Election,” My American Dream forum, High Point University , High Point, NC (April 20, 2012)
“North Carolina’s ‘Unaffiliated Voters’ and the 2012 Election,” Lloyd International Honors College, Food for Thought, Greensboro, NC (April 11, 2012)
“‘Explanation by Descprition’: History as Art/Art as History,” Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC (April 4, 2012)
“Benkos Biohó and African Marronage in Latin America/Benkos Biohó y Cimarronaje Africana en Latinoamérica,” Guest Lecture, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, University of North Carolina, Greensboro (March 26, 2012)
“Malik Ambar and the Abyssinians of the Deccan,” Department of History, Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad, India (March 12, 2012)
“Bilal’s Song: Black Muslims from Abyssinia to America,” Divan Cultural Center, Greensboro, NC (February 25, 2012)
“Understanding Black History as American History,” Road Scholars Program, North Carolina Humanities Council, Rockingham Community College, Wentworth, NC (February 22, 2012)
“Islam and the African Diaspora to the East,” national conference of the Center for Islamic Studies, Baton Rouge, LA (February 16, 2012)
“Black Populism in the New South: Rev. Walter A. Pattillo and the Colored Alliance in North Carolina,” Richard H. Thornton Library, Oxford, NC (January 29, 2012)
“Independents, African Americans, and the 2012 Election: Will there be another ‘Black and Independent Alliance?'” Forum sponsored by the UNCG African American Studies Program, Department of Political Science, The Black Student Union, and North Carolina Independents, Greensboro, NC (January 26, 2012)
2011
“Slave Rebels in the African Diaspora of the Indian Ocean World,” Department of Political Science, North Carolina A &T, Greensboro, NC (November 21, 2011)
“North Carolina Independents: A History of the ‘Unaffiliated,'” Politics Club, High Point University (November 16, 2011)
“Black Populism in the New South,” The Black South: From the Reconstruction Period to the Early 20th Century Conference on African American Culture and Experience, University of North Carolina, Greensboro (November 11, 2011)
“The Modern Civil Rights Movement in America History,” Historical Society of UNCG, Greensboro (November 9, 2011)
“We are the 99%?: Occupy Movement, Race, Class, and Politics” Roundtable Discussion, African American Studies Program, University of North Carolina, Greensboro (November 1, 2011)
Friends of the UNCG Libraries, University of North Carolina, Greensboro – “Reza Aslan’s No God But God: The Origins and Evolution of Islam,” Book Discussion (September 26, 2011)
Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC – “The Swahili Coast as Part of the Indian Ocean African Diaspora,” Department of History and African Studies Program (September 12, 2011) link
Zanzibar Indian Ocean Research Institute, Tanzania – “Comparing the African Diasporas of the Atlantic and Indian Ocean Worlds” (August 16, 2011)
University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – “Black Soldiers, Black Servants: The Muslim African Diaspora from South Asia to South America,” Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Research Chair in Pan-African Studies Lecture (August 15, 2011)
Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia– “Malik Ambar: An Ethiopian ruler in India,” Department of History and Geography (August 12, 2011)
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library, New York – “In the Lion’s Mouth: Book Talk” (June 21, 2011) link
North Regional Library, Raleigh, NC – “The Many Faces of Islam: Beyond the Headlines,” Road Scholars Program, North Carolina Humanities Council (May 10, 2011)
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library, New York, “The Making of the African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World,” public lecture (April 16, 2011)
Lloyd International Honors College, The University of North Carolina, Greensboro – “Who are America’s Independents?” Food for Thought presentation (April 6, 2011)
Villanova University, Institute for Global and Interdisciplinary Studies – “Islam and the Making of the African Diaspora East of the River Nile” (March 16, 2011)
Ebenezer Gospel Assembly, Samford, NC — “The Jim Crow of Bipartisan Rule” Black History Month presentation (February 27, 2011)
Sixth Annual National Conference of Independents, IndependentVoting.org/CUIP, New York, NY – “Can Independents Reform America?” (February 12, 2011)
2010
“Bridging Red, Black, and White: The Making of the Chesapeake from the Colonial Period through the Early Republic,” Havre de Grace Maritime Museum, Maryland, public lecture sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and the Maryland Humanities Council (December 5, 2010)
“Ibn Battuta on Piracy in the Indian Ocean,” Elliot Center Auditorium, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, public lecture sponsored by The History Club and Friends of the University Libraries (October 28, 2010)
St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford, U.K.– “Bilal’s Song: Muslim Africans in the Indian Ocean World,” African Studies Association Biennial Conference (September 17, 2010)
The University of North Carolina, Greensboro — “Reconceptualizing the African Diaspora: From the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic World,” Conversations with the Community, Sponsored by the African American Studies Program (September 14, 2010)
Osher Lifelong Institute, Towson, MD — “The Emancipation Proclamation and the Tactics of Black Liberation in the Americas” (May 20, 2010)
Calvert Library of Prince Frederick, MD — “Dr. Martin Luther King’s Civic Practice: Building Inclusive Communities in a Divisive World,” Maryland Humanities Council, co-sponsored by the Concerned Black Women of Calvert County (May 8, 2010)
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD — “Is Washington Broken? How to Fix the American Political System,” Mudd Hall, College Independents panel discussion (May 4, 2010)
The Johns Hopkins News-Letter
The Coffee Party USA, Washington, D.C. — “Being Politically Independent & Ending Partisan Warfare” live-streamed meeting (April 15, 2010) link
New York, NY — “Supplementary Education: Achievement or Development Gap?” History Academic Advisory Committee presentation (April 11, 2010)
Osher Lifelong Institute, Towson, MD — “Islam and the African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World” Lectures in the Social Sciences (April 8, 2010)
College of Charleston, SC — “The Making of Black Populism in the New South,” Race, Labor, and Citizenship in the Post-Emancipation South Conference, panel on Southern Populism and the Color Line: New Research and Interpretations (March 12, 2010)
Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD – “The Emancipation Proclamation and the Tactics of Black Liberation in the Americas,” Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln’s Journey to Emancipation, National Endowment for the Humanities and the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (February 20, 2010)
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office Building, New York, NY – “Interviews by a Black independent” Monthly Meeting of Dr. Lenora B. Fulani (February 19, 2010)
The University of North Carolina, Greensboro – “Black Populism in the New South: A Post-Emancipation Political Movement in the African Diaspora,” African American Studies Program research presentation (February 2, 2010)
2009
“Contextualizing James McBride’s Song Yet Sung: Blackness and Antislavery Action in Maryland and the Antebellum Chesapeake,” Book Club Inaugural Lecture, Albert S. Cook Library, Towson, MD (October 30, 2009)
“A Brief History of How Independents Have Expanded American History,” Cathy L. Stewart Politics for the People Series, Independence Party, New York County Lawyer’s Association, New York, NY (May 9, 2009)
“How did Barack Obama become the Nation’s first African American President?” President’s Day Master Class, All Stars Project/Development School for Youth, New York, NY (February 16, 2009)
“Islam and the Abolition of Slavery in the Indian Ocean,” Divinity School and Kelly Miller Institute on Black Church Studies, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN (February 5, 2009)
“Islam and the Abolition of Slavery in the Indian Ocean,” Fulbright Alumni Lecture Series, Colombo, Sri Lanka (January 16, 2009)
2008
Osher Lifelong Institute, Towson, MD – “African Civilizations and the Making of the Diaspora” Lectures in the Social Sciences (April 17, 2008)
Teaching American History in Authentic Baltimore Program, Baltimore, MD – Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Towson University, Baltimore City Heritage Area, and The Baltimore City Public School System partnership (July 14-18, 2008)
Cathy L. Stewart Politics for the People, Independence Party, New York, NY – “In the Balance of Power: Independent Black Politics and Third Party Movements,” (March 30, 2008
Towson University, MD – African and African-American Studies Program Black History Month event, Reading of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “The Power of Non-Violence” and “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” (February 4, 2008)
Hood College, Frederick, MD – “Dr. King’s Civic Practice: Building Inclusive Communities in a Diverse World,” Rosenstock Auditorium, Sponsored by the Maryland Humanities Council, Office of Minority Affairs, and the NAACP of Frederick (January 30, 2008) photo
Learning Center, Inc., Baltimore, MD – “Emmett Till as Catalyst of the Modern Civil Rights Movement,” Sponsored by the Maryland Humanities Council (January 25, 2008)
Frederick Douglass Isaac Myers Maritime Park, Baltimore, MD – “Dr. King and Civic Engagement,” Sponsored by Business Volunteers Unlimited Maryland and Volunteer Central and the Maryland Humanities Council (January 21, 2008)
Fort Myer Military Community Center, Fort Myer, VA – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration Lecture (January 10, 2008)
2007
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN – Program in African American and Diaspora Studies, “Black Populism: An Independent Political Response to Agrarian Labor Subjugation in North America” (November 14, 2007)
University of Liverpool, U.K. – “Muslim Africans in the Iberian Atlantic, 1521-1888” Rethinking the Iberian Atlantic conference (September 14, 2007)
Cape Coast, Ghana – Fulbright-Hays lectures, “The Portuguese, Dutch, and British Slave Trade in the Atlantic: A View from the Castles of El Mina and Cape Coast” (June 30-July 1, 2007)
All Stars Project, New York – Co-moderator, “The Police and Our Young People: What is their Relationship?” conference (June 20, 2007)
Washington College of Law, American University, Washington, D.C. – Washington Area Legal History Roundtable Panel commentator: “Comparative History of Slavery and its Abolition” (April 20, 2007)
Towson University, MD – African and African-American Studies respondent for panel discussion “Roots and Routes: Reflections on the Life of Olaudah Equiano” (February 20, 2007)
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN – Program in African American and Diaspora Studies, “The African Diaspora as Methodology” (January 19, 2007)
2006
Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá – “Raza y Nacion” grupo de estudios seminar, Department of History (December 5, 2006)
Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá – “Resistencia a la Esclavitud, Palenques, y Abolicionismo en las Américas,” Public Lecture sponsored by the Department of Anthropology, UNAL, and Fulbright Commission Colombia (November 21, 2006)
Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia – “Independencia Negra en la Diaspora Africana: Del Abolicionismo a la Independencia Politica en el Hemisferio Occidental,” Catedra Fulbright (August 30, 2006)
Organization of American Historians, Washington, D.C. – “Black Populism in the New South,” panel presentation for “Race and American Citizenship: Civic Identity and Political Organizing After Reconstruction” (April 20, 2006)
Guest Lecture for “Modern Latin American History,” Towson University, MD – “Slave Resistance, Maroonage, and Abolitionism in the Americas” (April 13, 2006)
“Independent Voters: A New Constituency for Political Reform,” Maryland Independents, Towson, MD (March 9, 2006)
“The Modern Civil Rights Movement and its Independent Political Legacy,” lecture for Black History Month sponsored by Phi Alpha Theta fraternity and the African and African-American Studies Program, Towson University, MD (February 28, 2006)
2005
Southern Historical Association, Atlanta, GA – “Black Populism in the New South: The Mothers, Daughters, and Sisters of the Movement,” national conference panel “Black and White Populism in the New South” (November 5, 2005)
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia – “Abolicionismo en América: Hacia un Estudio Comparativo de Historia Mundial,” Colonial Americas Studies Organization International Interdisciplinary Symposium (August 11, 2005)
Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX – “Black Populism and Independent Black Politics,” University Lecture, sponsored by the John B. Coleman Library (February 17, 2005)
Towson University, Towson, MD – “American History: Civil Rights, Jim Crow, Race Riots, and Lynching,” Lunch presentation with Dr. Joanne M. Martin (President, The Great Blacks in Wax Museum, Inc.), sponsored by the Office of University Resources (February 9, 2005)
2004
Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Little Rock, AK – “Black Populist leadership in the late 19th Century,” national conference (October 22, 2004)
DC Area Legal History Roundtable, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C. (October 8, 2004)
Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Pittsburgh, PA – “Black Populism in the New South,” national convention (October 2, 2004)
Bronx Community College, Bronx, NY – “Two Decades of Independent Black Politics: A Contemporary Review,” Colston Hall, sponsored by the New York Independence Party Politics and the People Series (July 31, 2004)
King’s College, Wilkes Barre, PA – “Postmodern Populism and the Independent Voter,” McCormick Campus Ministry Center, sponsored by the campus Green Party (March 26, 2004)
2003
Civil Rights 2003: Justice for All, Dallas, TX – “The History of Political Independents as Second-Class Citizens” (October 25, 2003)
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI – Phi Beta Sigma and NAACP sponsored lecture on Choosing an Independent 2004 (October 18, 2003)
The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill – “The Role of Independents in Public Policy-Making,” Lecture sponsored by the Minority Affairs Committee of the Executive Branch of Student Government (October 3, 2003)
East Carolina University, Greenville, NC – “We Don’t Need a Political Party! We Need Political Power!” Independent Movement of Independent Thinkers (IM IT) (October 2, 2003)
Keene State College, Keene, NH – “What It Means to Be an Independent,” Political Science lecture (April 7, 2003)
2002
Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA – “Understanding the Past, Present, and Future of the Independent Political Movement in America,” Stanford in Government Public Policy Forum (November 20, 2002)
The Daily Stanford
University of California, Berkeley, CA – “For the American People, Independent of the Special Interests,” Harris Seminar Series, Institute of Government Studies (November 19, 2002)
Public Affairs Report
University of California, Los Angeles, CA – “Independent Politics,” (November 14, 2002)
The Daily Bruin
Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, CA – “The Role of Independents in the 2004 Presidential Election,” (November 13, 2002) link
North Austin Muslim Community Center, Austin Texas (November 8, 2002)
University of Texas, Austin, Austin, TX – “The History of Independent Political Movements and Current Developments,” History Graduate Council and Campus Independent Texans (November 7, 2002)
Rice University, Houston, TX – “The Emergence of a New Independent Movement,” Sponsored by the Black Student Association & NAACP student chapter (November 6, 2002))
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX – “The Legal Barriers to Political Independents in the United States,” The Federalist Law Students Society (November 4, 2002)
Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS – Lecture sponsored by the Government Student Association and the campus chapter of the NAACP (October 30, 2002)
University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL – Political Science Department address (October 28, 2002)
Miles College, Birmingham, AL – Political Science lecture (October 28, 2002)
East Carolina University, Greenville, NC – Council on Minority Student Affairs (October 24, 2002)
Duke University, Durham, NC – Graduate School of Journalism and Public Policy (October 23, 2002)
Spelman College, Atlanta, GA – Political Science and International Relations (October 22, 2002)
Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA – Political Science Club (October 21, 2002)
The Sentinel
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL – School of Journalism and Political Science Department (October 17, 2002)
New Jersey City University, Jersey City, NJ – Institute of Urban Public Policy (October 15, 2002)
Princeton University, NJ – American Whig-Cliosophic Society and Ideas in Action and Student Discourse, Whig Hall Senate Chamber (October 10, 2002)
Daily Princetonian
Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA – Students for Social Justice (October 9, 2002)
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA – Department of African American Studies and Graduate Student Union (October 8, 2002)
American University, DC – Guest Lecture, Political Science Department class “Political Parties” (October 4, 2002)
University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire – “Where is the Independent Voice in U.S. Foreign Policy? For the American People, Independent of the Special Interests,” College Independents and Campus Greens (October 2, 2002)
The Spectator and The Flipside link
Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI – Phi Sigma Alpha (October 1, 2002)
Central Michigan Life
Kent State University, Aurora, OH – “Key Political Reform Issues at the State and National Level,” Center for Public Administration & Public Policy (September 27, 2002)
Wittenberg University, OH – Guest Lecture, Political Science Department Seminar “Political Parties & Interest Groups” (September 26, 2002)
Ohio University, Athens, OH- “For the American People, Independent of the Special Interests,” Keynote Address, Black Graduate Council (September 25, 2002)
The Post (Associated Press)
Wright State University, OH – Guest Lecture, Political Science Department class, “Political Parties” (September 25, 2002)
The Guardian
Yale University, Yale Political Union – “The Two-Party System is Undemocratic,” Keynote Address, New Haven, CT (September 17, 2002)
Yale Daily News
Wesleyan University, College of Social Sciences – “Those Who Make the Rules, Rule,” Lunch Speakers Series, Middletown, CT (September 16, 2002)
Committee for a Unified Independent Party, Inc. – “Those Who Make the Rules, Rule,” white paper, New York, NY (September 4, 2002)
New York University, World History Institute – “Creating a Framework for World History: 1750-1914,” The American Forum for Global Education, New York, NY (August 22, 2002)
St. Francis College, Brooklyn, NY – “The New Coalition in New York: Black, Latino, and White Independents,” (April 26, 2002)
Columbia University, New York, NY – “Independent Politics and the African American Community in the 20th Century” (April 22, 2002)
Bronx Community College, Bronx, NY – “Generation Independent” (April 15, 2002)
Northeastern University, Boston, MA – “Independent Politics and Political Reform: How Young Voters are Transforming Political Culture in the U.S.” (February 28th, 2002)
2001
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University – “Black Populists in the 1890s: The Lecturers and Organizers of the Colored Farmers’ Alliance and the People’s Party” Conference on Innovative Perspectives in History (March 17, 2001)
2000
Fordham University, Bronx, NY – “The American Revolution in World History,” Department of History, Lecture (October 11, 2000)
Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY – “Africa in the Making of the Modern World,” Department of History, Lecture (April 20, 2000)
1999
“Slave Resistance and Revolts in North America,” Department of History, Graduate Seminar St. John’s University, Queens, NY (February 9, 1999)
1998
“Preliminary research for writing a history of the Colored Farmers Alliance in the Populist movement: 1886-1896,” Department of History, Columbia University, NY (May 11, 1998)
Consulting
New York City Department of Education and Museum of the City of New York, “Hidden Voices: Perspectives of the Global African Diaspora,” (2023-2024) link
College Board, Advanced Placement, African American Studies Exam (2024)
TED-Ed, Malik Ambar (2022-2023) link
One High Point Commission to Explore Community Reparations for the African American Citizens of High Point, High Point City Council, NC (2022-2023)
National Endowment for the Humanities planning grant, “Developing a Humanistic Integrative STEM Curriculum Pathway for Elementary Education Majors,” Ball State University (2022)
The American Academy in Berlin, Hans Arnhold Center, Berlin Prize Fellowship Program (2022)
PBS, ‘Finding Your Roots’ documentary series with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2022)
History Channel, “History This Week” podcast (2022)
Inspecteur Délégué, History/Geography, International Option of the French Baccalaureate, French Ministry of Education (2016-2022).
National Institutes of Health, Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Biomedical Research Workforce and Health Equity Research, Request for Information, Bethesda, MD (2021)
UCLA Library, Modern Endangered Archives Program, Memory and Identity in Afro-Brazilian Archives, Los Angeles, CA (2020)
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (Conseil de Recherches en Sciences Humaines), Canada, Insight Grant Program (2019-2020)
Smithsonian Channel and Channel 5, U.K., “One Thousand Years a Slave” (2019-2020)
World History-Big History Project, bgC3 and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (2019-2020).
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, MacArthur Fellowship Program (2019)
New York City Department of Education, Division of Social Studies, World History (2018-2019; 2021-2022)
National Humanities Center, ‘Bringing the Humanities and Sciences Together,’ Humanities in Class (2017).
AP Global Challenge, Office of Academic Initiatives, College Board (2014)
College Board, History Academic Advisory Committee, New York (2009-2014)
UX, All Stars Project, “Black History as American History” (2014)
North Carolina Humanities Council, Lead Scholar, Summer Institute “Muslim Journeys: Islam and its Many Roads” (2013)
Rockefeller Foundation, Bellagio Academic Writing Resident Fellowship Program, History and Anthropology, Institute of International Education (2008-present)
World History Association, Teaching Prize Committee (2007-2012)
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library, New York (2010-2011)
Schomburg-Mellon Humanities Summer Institute (2011)
W.W. Norton, History Media survey (2011)
Educational Testing Service, SAT II World History Test Development Committee, Princeton, NJ (2008-2010)
University of Maryland University College, African American Studies, Content Expert/Author, Adelphi, MD (2008-2009)
Teaching American History – U.S. Department of Education, Partnership between Baltimore City Public School System, Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Baltimore City Heritage Area, and Towson University, MD (2008-2010)
Maryland Humanities Council, Speakers Bureau, Baltimore, MD (2008-2010)
Fulbright-Hays – U.S. Department of Education, Accra, Elmina, and Cape Coast, Ghana (2007)
College Board & Educational Testing Service, Advanced Placement-World History, Reader (2002-2007)
The Castillo Theatre, New York, NY (2005)
University of Maryland, Baltimore County, African American Studies online course development (2005)
Pearson Education, Higher Education Group, World History document source book; African American History text book; World History text book, Upper Saddle River, NJ (2004-2005, 2011)
WNJU Channel 47-Telemundo, NBC affiliate, New York, NY (2003-2005)
Center for Contemporary Black History, “Malcolm X Digital Project,” Columbia University, New York, NY (2003)
History Channel International, “Mansa Musa: Biographies in World History,” New York, NY (2001)
Legal:
Amicus Curiae, Freedom From Religion Foundation v. Mack, Texas U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, 2021
Amicus Curiae, De La Fuente v. Padilla, California U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 2019
Amicus Curiae (Motion for Leave to File), Custodial from Guilford County Law Enforcement Recording Sought by the City, Eighteenth District Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 2018
Amicus Curiae, Schuette v. Coalition, Michigan U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, 2013
Amicus Curiae, Town of Greece, New York v. Susan Galloway, New York U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, 2013
Service at UNC Greensboro
Weatherspoon Art Museum, Tate + Gate ad hoc Committee, 2022
University Chief of Public Safety and Police selection committee, 2021
Racial Equity at UNCG website and resources, Consultation and Development, Chancellor’s Office and University Communications, 2020
Research Excellence Awards Committee, Office of Research and Engagement, 2019-2020
Associate Provost of International Programs Center Search Committee (Chair), 2019-2020 link
Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Spanish Faculty Search Committee, 2019-2020
Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success and Dean of Undergraduate Students Search Committee, 2018-2019
Islamic Studies Minor Advisory Council, Department of Religious Studies, College of Arts & Sciences, 2019-present
Campus Security Authority, Lloyd International Honors College (2018-present)
Dean Representative, Faculty Senate, 2017-2018
Ronald E. McNair Scholars Academic Program Advisory Board, 2017-present link
Faculty Annual Review Committee (Chair), African American & African Diaspora Studies, 2017-present
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Search Committee, 2017
Child Clinical Psychology Faculty Search Committee, Department of Psychology, College of Arts & Sciences, 2017-2018
Tenure-Review Committee, African American & African Diaspora Studies Program, College of Arts & Sciences, 2017-2018
Black Atlantic Faculty Search Committee, African American & African Diaspora Studies Program, College of Arts & Sciences, 2017
War & Peace Imagined campus-wide theme, University Steering Committee, 2017
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Council, 2016-present
Internal Grant Review, Community Engaged Research and Creativity Awards, Office of Research and Economic Development, 2016-present
Student Affairs Faculty Advisory Group, 2016-present
Office of Leadership and Service Learning Advisory Committee, 2016-present
Advisory Committee, International Programs Center, 2015-present
General Education Council, ex officio, 2015-present
University Committee on Honorary Degrees, Office of the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, 2014-present
Honors Council (Chair), Lloyd International Honors College, 2015-present
Institutional Effectiveness Committee, 2015-present
University Chief of Public Safety and Police selection committee, 2015-2016
Aycock Naming Committee, UNCG Board of Trustees, 2015-2016
University Chancellor Search Committee (Leadership Statement Sub-Committee), 2014-2015
University Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Search Committee, 2013-2014
Advisory Board, Integrative Community Studies, Office of Research and Economic Development, 2014-present
Faculty Adviser, Student Advisory Council to the UNCG Police, 2015-2018
Campus Security Authority, Lloyd International Honors College, for UNCG Police Department, 2015-present
Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, 2013-2016
Faculty Fulbright Interview Committee, International Programs Center, 2011-2015
Faculty Mentor, Faculty Teaching & Learning Commons, 2014-2015
Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Keynote Speaker Selection Committee, UNCG and NC A&T, 2014
Advisory Board, Department of Human Resources, 2014-2015
Coordinator of Diversity Initiatives, College of Arts & Sciences, 2013-2015
Director of Graduate Studies, African American & African Diaspora Studies Program, 2011-2015
Lloyd International Honors College, African American & African Diaspora Studies Program Liaison, 2010-2013
Advisory Committee, College of Arts & Sciences Diversity Initiatives, 2011-2013
University Scholars Program, reviewer, 2013-2014
House Calls, University Housing, participant, 2011-2013
Student Group Advising:
Honors Dragons, 2022-present
Women to Women Self-Defense Club, 2021-present
Spectrum at UNCG, Faculty Adviser, 2016-present (2022 Humanitarian Award)
Arab Student Organization, Faculty Adviser, 2018-2021
Research Association of Muslims, Faculty Adviser, 2016-2019
Muslim Student Organization, Faculty Adviser, 2015-2019
Yes, And, Faculty Adviser, 2015-present
The Carolinian, student newspaper, Faculty Advisory Board, 2015-2016
Black Business Student Association, Faculty Adviser, 2012-2015
Black Student Union, Faculty Adviser, 2011-2015
Doctoral Dissertation Committees:
Virginia Summey, Department of History, The College of Arts & Sciences
Margaret Williams, Department of History, The College of Arts & Sciences
Noura Abothneen, Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations, School of Education
Juldeh Tejan-Sie, Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations, School of Education
Esther Mulusa, Department of English, The College of Arts & Sciences
Master’s Thesis Committee:
Deng Majok Chol, “South Sudan’s Lungs: Sustaining the Sudd under Climate and Socio-Economic Change,” Department of Sociology, The College of Arts & Sciences
Purvi Sanghvi, “Human Networks in the Indian Ocean, 12th-17th Centuries,” Department of History, The College of Arts & Sciences
Stacey Lawless, “Conjuring Power and Respect: The Performance of a Hoodoo Doctor in 1970s Florida and its Roots in Black Nationalist Movements,” Department of History, The College of Arts & Sciences
Honors Thesis Committees:
Alexandra Romero, “The Legacy of French Colonialism in Morocco and Vietnam: A Comparative Study in Art History,” with Dr. Elizabeth Perrill, Department of Art, The College of Visual and Performing Arts
Spencer Stephenson, “How to be Human,” Department of Art, The College of Visual and Performing Arts
Aliyah Ruffin, “Remembering Jim Crow,” African American and African Diaspora Studies Program, The College of Arts & Sciences
McNair Scholars Projects:
Quella Reid, “Black Wales: The African Diaspora in Wales,” Human Development and Family Studies, The School of Health and Human Sciences
Mulubrhan Kidanu, “Upright Sankara: Burkina Faso’s Unfinished Quest for Independence and Equality 1983-1987,” African American and African Diaspora Studies Program, The College of Arts & Sciences
Rachel Reed, “Examining Afro-Latinas,” with Prof. Nodia Mena, Communication Studies and Spanish, The College of Arts & Sciences
External Tenure and Tenure-Track Review:
Norah L. A. Gharala, Department of History, University of Houston
Monique Bedasse, Department of History, New York University
Nohora Arrieta Fernandez, Departments of Spanish & Portuguese and Linguistics, UCLA
Amy Schwartzott, Department of Art History, North Carolina A & T State University, Greensboro
Jane Hooper, Department of History & Art History, George Mason University, Washington, D.C.
External Committees (dissertations, master’s theses, and Honors theses)
Emmanuel Boussious, Ph.D., Sociology, SUNY Stony Brook University
Sean Bennett, M.A., Geography, Towson University
Ray Crawford, M.S., Social Science, Towson University, 2009
Chad Brown, M.A., African American Studies, Columbia University, 2004
Kristin Beam, M.P.A. California State University, Fullerton
Jade M. Baum, United States Naval Academy, B.A., History, Honors Thesis
Administrative Leadership and Management
Dean, Lloyd International Honors College – 2017-present (Interim Dean 2015-2017)
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Responsible for leading the university’s Honors College with approximately 1,000 students, overseeing the Global and Disciplinary Honors Programs, the Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Office (URSCO), serving over 14,000 undergraduate students across all disciplines, and both the Research Fellows program and the Residential Colleges, with over 500 students in living-learning residential communities; manages a professional staff of ten, including two Assistant Deans, a Budget and Operations Officer, four Program Managers responsible for academic advising, student records and data management, international travel and study abroad, program coordination, and communications, and the URSCO faculty Director and Assistant Director; oversees Honors recruitment and competitive admissions, enrollment management, budget and operations; recruits faculty across five academic units in the natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences to teach seminars, in addition to recruiting visiting scholars; develops and infuses pedagogy using performance and improvisation; oversees five Honors residential halls, including four residential college living-learning communities; engages in fundraising for major gifts, grant-writing, and broad networking; promotes the Honors College at the state and national levels; works closely with the International Program Center to send over 100 students to study abroad every year from Honors; works with curricular and advisory body, the Honors Council and the Student and Alumni Advisory Board; conducts annual program assessment; oversees the prestigious scholarships and residential fellowship program; and ensures compliance for accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Acting Director, Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Office – July-August 2024
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Providing grants to undergraduate students across all fields of study for research, travel, and conferences, promoting and supporting student success through faculty-mentored research, creative inquiry and other scholarly experiences. Oversight of the Research Fellows program for incoming students in partnership with Enrollment Management, and producing the annual Research Exposition and hosting and co-sponsoring a range of local conferences and academic events, including the UNC system-wide Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences summit. Helping faculty become increasingly effective with mentoring undergraduate research and integrating research skills into courses and curricula.
Interim Director, Residential Colleges – October 2023-July 2024
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Directed Ashby, Strong, and Grogan Residential Colleges with courses and programing continuing the respective traditions of each of these residential colleges, promoting creative and inquisitive communities in close collaboration with faculty in the arts, sciences, and humanities to encourage intellectual and social growth. Ashby Residential College, founded in 1970, serves as the oldest Residential College in North Carolina and one of the longest living-learning communities in the nation, modeling a residential environment to encourage innovative study, small classes, unity of academic and social experiences, and close student-faculty contacts.
Director of Scholarships, Lloyd International Honors College – September 2023-January 2024
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Overseeing the disbursement of multiple scholarships and working with scholars awarded the Reynolds Scholarship, Lichtin Family Scholarship, the Class of ‘55 Scholarship, the Joe M. and Jeannie Daniel Felts Scholarship, the Scurry Family Scholarship, the Fran and Glenn Ross Scholarship, the Nunn Family Scholarship, the Susan Morris Safran Merit Scholarship in Nursing, the Betty McGowan Brady Scholarship, the Sloan Endowed Scholarship, and the Brad and Kim Hayes Annual Merit Scholarship in the Honors College, among other scholarships and awards. All scholarships work together to foster a community of scholars who strive to succeed in their respective fields of study in and out of the classroom.
Coordinator of Diversity Initiatives, The College of Arts & Sciences – 2013-2015
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Initiated, supported, and coordinated diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and projects across the departments and programs in the College of Arts and Sciences. Led workshops and discussions among faculty, staff, and students on creating more inclusive, developmental spaces in the classroom, labs, and in the field, drawing on performative and improvisational methods and practices; worked with faculty search committees and advised department heads and program directors. Successfully instituted a broader and longer paid family leave policy for faculty members.
Director of Graduate Studies, African American & African Diaspora Studies Program – 2011-2015
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Directed the recruitment, admissions, and retention of students into this graduate interdisciplinary program in collaboration with the Graduate School. Served as the principle faculty advisor. Developed graduate course curricula and advised students that were both part of existing doctoral and master’s programs at the university and those seeking graduate-level certification. Introduced four new graduate-level courses into the program as part of updating and streamlining the graduate curriculum. In 2014 Academic Analytics ranked the AADS program among the top ten departments/programs in the nation based on the production of faculty scholarship.
Program Director, Clemente Course in the Humanities – 2001-2006
Bard College and New Jersey Council for the Humanities
Recruited and supervised faculty members from the New York City area teaching a five- course curriculum covering two semester-long seminars in philosophy, art history, literature, and history in this national innovative college-level program for returning adult students seeking to complete the bachelor’s degree.
Research Coordinator, University Development and Alumni Relations – 1996-2001
Columbia University, New York
Supervised three prospect researchers identifying potential donors for the university and determining net assets and professional networks among alumni for leadership gifts of $50,000 and above. Additionally, oversaw the data tracking and implementation of new analytic tools for determining gift levels of prospective donors.
Director of Research and Education – 2000-2004
IndependentVoting.org, New York
Public Information Officer, Dag Hammarskjöld Library and Department of Public Information – 1993-1995
United Nations, New York
Media Appearances
Television, Cable, and Live Streaming:
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Radio Canada, “Martin Luther King, la Polarisation Politique, et le Racisme aux Étas Unis/”Martin Luther King, Political Polarization, and Racism in the United States,” Montréal, Québec (August 28, 2023)
ABC News 45, “Taliban takeover of Afghanistan,” Winston-Salem, NC (August 16, 2021)
Fox News 8, The Buckley Report, “How Effective are North Carolina’s Charter Schools,” Greensboro, NC (June 22, 2021) Part II link
Fox News 8, The Buckley Report, “A Look at the History of Public Charter Schools in North Carolina,” Greensboro, NC (June 21, 2021) Part I link
ABC News, Channel 45, “Free Palestine Rally in Greensboro Draws Hundreds” (March 24, 2021) link
“In the Balance of Power: A Politics for the People Conversation with author Omar H Ali,” IndependentVoting.org (February 24, 2021) link
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Radio Canada, “Manifestations à Washington, D.C., Black Lives Matter, et Réforme de la Police/Washington, D.C. Protests, Black Lives Matter, and Police Reform” Montréal, Québec (August 28, 2020)
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Radio Canada, “Les Électeurs Noirs dans l’Élection Présidentielle Américaine de 2020/Black Voters in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election” Montréal, Québec (August 19, 2020)
NBC News, WXII Channel 12, “UNCG Students Show Solidarity With People Caught in the Middle of Iraq Revolution” Greensboro, NC (October 7, 2019) link
NBC News, WXII Channel 12, “UNCG Students, Faculty Honor New Zealand Mosque Massacre Victims by Calling for Unity,” (March 20, 2019) link
Fox News 8, “Alan Alda Talks the Art of Communication at UNCG,” Greensboro, NC (October 30, 2018) link
Spectrum Cable 2, “Guilford County Schools A-May-Zing Volunteers” Greensboro, NC (May 2018) link
NBC News, WXII Channel 12, “Independent Voters and Early Voting in North Carolina,” Winston-Salem, NC (November 1, 2016)
NBC News, WXII Channel 12, “Presidential Politics,” Chronicle with Cameron Kent, Winston-Salem, NC (July 1, 2016)
NBC News, WXII Channel 12, “North Carolina Primary,” Chronicle with Cameron Kent, Winston-Salem, NC (March 12, 2016) Part I
NBC News, WXII Channel 12, “Religion and Politics,” Chronicle with Cameron Kent, Winston-Salem, NC (January 14, 2016) Part I & Part II
Time Warner Cable News, ABC45/WXLV-TV, “Expert Gives Insight Into Charleston Shooter’s Motive,” Greensboro, NC (June 20, 2015) link
The New York Public Library, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, “Maroons Revisted: History and Stories,” New York (June 11, 2015) link
Time Warner Cable News, ABC45/WXLV-TV, “Media’s Role on the Public’s View of Muslims,” Winston-Salem, NC (April 29, 2015) link
Time Warner Cable News, ABC45/WXLV-TV, “Social Media’s Online Outreach May Have Affected Riots,” Winston-Salem, NC (April 28, 2015) link
Time Warner Cable News, ABC45/WXLV-TV, “Muslim Students in North Carolina,” Winston-Salem, NC (April 18, 2015) link
ABC News, Channel 7, “Race,” Triad Today with Jim Longsworth, Winston-Salem, High Point, Greensboro, NC (April 4 2015) link
Fox News 8, “Hundreds Gather in Greensboro to Mourn Three Victims of Fatal Chapel Hill Shooting,” Greensboro, NC (February 12, 2015)
Fox News 8, “‘Beyond Academics’ Program Helps Students with Disabilities,” Greensboro, NC (February 24, 2014)
CBS News, Channel 2, “Candidates Make Final Push Ahead of Tuesday’s Election,” Greensboro, NC (November 1, 2013)
NBC News, WXII Channel 12, “Non-Partisan Politics,” Winston-Salem, NC (October 31, 2013)
CBS News, Channel 2, “Government Shutdown,” Greensboro, NC (October 15, 2013)
C-SPAN 3, “Changing Culture by Changing our Performance,” Panel on the Independent Voter Movement, New York University Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, New York City (February 16, 2013)
CBS News, Channel 2, “GED challenge,” Greensboro, NC (May 14, 2013)
WRAL-TV, “Redesigning Democracy Summit,” Institute for Emerging Issues, James B. Hunt, Jr. Library, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (December 9, 2012)
CBS News, Channel 2, “The Future of the GOP,” Morning Show, Greensboro, NC (November 7, 2012)
CBS News, Channel 2, “Who Rose to the Occasion in the Final Presidential Debate?” Greensboro, NC (October 22, 2012)
CBS News, Channel 2, “Why Undecided Voters are Still Unsure” Greensboro, NC (October 17, 2012)
Fox News 8, “Negative Political Ads: Do They Work?” High Point, NC (October 17, 2012)
CBS News, Channel 2, Vice Presidential Debate Coverage, Greensboro, NC (October 1, 2012)
Fox News 8, “The Impact of the Presidential Debates,” Highpoint, NC (October 3, 2012)
HuffPost Live with Marc Lamont Hill, “Hot on HuffPost Front,” New York, NY (September 25, 2012)
CBS News, Channel 2, DNC Coverage: “Tension Between Parties At All Time High,” Charlotte, NC (September 6, 2012)
CBS News, Channel 2, DNC Coverage: “Political Paradox: Gay Marriage Platform,” Charlotte, NC (September 6, 2012)
Black Network Television, “Democratic National Convention,” Right on the Left, Greensboro, NC (September 5, 2012)
CBS News, Channel 2, “UNCG Professor: What to Expect from the DNC Speeches,” Greensboro, NC (September 4, 2012)
CBS News, Channel 2, “A Look at the Swing State Myths,” Greensboro, NC (September 4, 2012)
CNN Newsroom with Gary Tuchman, “Race and the Politics of Voting,” Raleigh, NC (September 1, 2012)
Black Network Television, “GOP Nomination Convention”, Right on the Left, Greensboro, NC (August 30, 2012)
CBS News, Channel 2, “The Non-Voters: Getting Them to Vote in November,” Greensboro, NC (August 29, 2012)
CNN Newsroom with Don Lemon, “Independents and the 2012 Election” Raleigh, North Carolina (August 25, 2012)
CBS News, Channel 2, “Governor’s Race and Recall in Wisconsin,” Greensboro, NC (June 5, 2012)
CBS News, Channel 2, “Redisctricting in North Carolina,” Greensboro, NC (February 20, 2012)
CBS News, Channel 2, “The Florida Republican Primary,” Greensboro, NC (January 31, 2012)
CBS News, Channel 2, “Why We Need To Care About the Iowa Caucus,” Greensboro, NC (January 3, 2012)
Dactilares.net “¿Democracia en EE.UU?” con Ramiro Camarillo, Phoenix, AZ (December 5, 2011)
CBS News, Channel 2, “What Can be Done About Balancing Representation in Congress?” Greensboro, NC (November 18, 2011)
CBS News, Channel 2, “2011 Election Complete, What Does it Mean for 2012?” Greensboro, NC (November 9, 2011)
CBS News, Channel 2, Good Morning Show, “Political Dissatisfaction, Political Sparring” Greensboro, NC (November 4, 2011)
CBS News, Channel 2, “President Obama’s Visit to North Carolina” Greensboro, NC (October 16, 2011)
CBS News, Channel 2, “Why Don’t We Vote?” Greensboro, NC (October 11, 2011)
CBS News, Channel 2, “Why Aren’t We Voting Online Now?” Greensboro, NC (October 6, 2011)
CBS News, Channel 2, “Voter Discontent and Low Voter Turnout” Greensboro, NC (September 22, 2011)
CNN, “Independent Voices in the Debt Debate” Girardot, Colombia (August 1, 2011)
C-SPAN 3: “Can Independents Reform America?” New York City (February 12, 2011)
CNN, “Independents on the Healthcare Bill” Washington, DC (March 22, 2010)
CNN, “Can Independents Help Ease Partisanship?” Washington, DC (February 29, 2010)
CNN, “Broken Government?” Washington, DC (February 21, 2010) transcript
CNN, “President Obama’s Job Approval?” Washington, DC (February 14, 2010)
CNN, “Independents’ Cup of Tea?” Towson, MD (February 6, 2010)
CNN Newsroom with Don Lemon, “Who are America’s Independents?” Baltimore, MD (January 31, 2010)
News Channel 9, “Black History Month: Should it Exist?” New York, NY (February 16, 2009)
News Channel 5: “Open Line: 2008 Presidential Election,” Nashville, TN (November 12, 2008)
News Channel 5: “Inside Politics,” Nashville, TN (October 17, 2008)
Al Jazeera English: International cable news, “Inside USA: Examining Obama’s Policies” (September 12, 2008) 2:05 photo
Al Jazeera English, “Obama — Change Candidate?” (June 4, 2008)
Al Jazeera English, “The Obama Phenomenon” (February 20, 2008)
WNJU Channel 47: “El Barrio: East Harlem” New York (February 24, 2005)
PVAMU-TV Channel 35: “Black Populism and Independent Black Politics,” Prairie View, TX (February 17, 2005)
Telemundo, WNJU Channel 47: “The Transformation of Manhattan’s Meatpacking District,” New York (January 28, 2005)
Telemundo, WNJU Channel 47: “100th Anniversary of Times Square,” New York (November 16, 2004)
Telemundo, WNJU Channel 47: “Independent and Latino voters: National Republican Party coverage,” New York (September 1, 2004)
Telemundo, WNJU Channel 47: “A History of Roma Migrations,” New York (July 27, 2004)
Telemundo, WNJU Channel 47: “The New York City Draft Riots of 1863,” New York (November 11, 2003)
DCTV Channel 27: “Civil Rights 2003 Conference: Justice for All,” Dallas, TX (October 25, 2003)
C-SPAN 2: “Choosing an Independent President: CUIP national conference,” New York (January 19, 2003) link
WYBE-TV Channel 35: “Philly Live: Your International Connection,” Philadelphia, PA (January 14, 2003)
KADL-TV Channel 10: “Beyond the Beltway,” Los Angeles, CA (November 15, 2002)
WQOW-TV Channel 18, ABC affiliate: Eau Claire, WI (October 2, 2002)
WOUB-TV Channel 20: Athens, OH (September 25, 2002)
NY1 News, “Comments,” with Andrew Kirtzman, New York, NY (April 1999)
Documentaries and Clips:
“One High Point Commission on Reparations,” City of High Point, North Carolina, 2023 link
“Malik Ambar: The Deccan’s African Defender,” Live History India, Tales and Trails, 2020 link
“Malik Ambar: Power and Slavery Across the Indian Ocean,” Humble History, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2020 link
“Reconstruction: America After the Civil War,” PBS (winner of the Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia award), 2019 link
“Honors Explores the Guilford Forest,” The Underground Railroad Tree Project, Lloyd International Honors College and MC Squared, Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, UNC Greensboro, 2019 link
“Gilded Age: The Rise of Populism” American Experience, PBS link
“Reclaiming Democracy,” Reclaiming Democracy project of Bennett College, Elon University, Greensboro College, Guilford College, A&T, and the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, 2013 link
“Introduction to the African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World,” Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library, 2011 link
“Being Politically Independent & Ending Partisan Warfare” The Coffee Party USA, Washington, D.C., 2010 link
“Transforming America: U.S. History Since 1877,” PBS link
“Can Independents Reform America? National Conference of Independents” CUIP, Inc.
“Battleground for a New Generation: A Documentary on Youth and Voting,” Windline Film Productions link 5:42
“The Many Faces of Islam” Pakistan Chronicle
Radio and Podcasts:
NPR, WFDD 88.5 FM, “The Underground Railroad and the Guilford Woods,” with Anne Willis and Brooke Suiter, Winston-Salem, NC (September 28, 2023)
For the Love of History podcast, “The Independent Voter” with Tehya Nakamura, Kure, Japan (September 9, 2023) link
UNCG Humanities Network and Consortium, “Humanities for Good: Episode 3 with Omar Ali,” with Anne Parsons (April 27, 2023) link
WVON 1690 AM, The Talk of Chicago, “Voting trend among African American men,” Buchanan & Seaton Show (February 3, 2022)
The Purple Principle podcast, “Liberty & Justice for Some: Two Centuries of Black Leaders & Movements” (September 21, 2021) link
Under the Radar podcast, “Omar H. Ali’s ‘In the Balance of Power’ is a Great Read for Black History Month,” with Frank Fear (February 5, 2021) link
BIC Talks, “Malik Ambar and African Origin Leaders in India (with Omar H. Ali): Remembering the Forgotten,” Bangalore International Center (January 15, 2021) link
Yes, and Café podcast, “Creating New Possibilities,” University Communications and Lloyd International Honors College, UNC Greensboro (January 5, 2021); Episodes 13 link
New Books Network podcast, “Malik Ambar: Power and Slavery Across the Indian Ocean World,” with Ahmed Yaqoub AlMaazmi, Princeton University (September 17, 2020) link
Ohio University Press podcast, “In the Balance of Power: Independent Black Politics and Third Party Movements in the United States,” with Zoe Bossiere (June 26, 2020) link
National Humanities Center podcast, “How to Integrate Humanities and STEM in the Classroom,” Research Triangle, NC (December 2017) link
WFHB 91.3 FM, “Interchange: The Tragic Birth of Black Populism,” Bloomington, Indiana (February 21, 2017) link
NPR, WFDD 88.5 FM, “Democracy and the Pitfalls of Party Politics,” Winston-Salem, NC (November 11, 2016) link
NPR, WFDD 88.5 FM, “African Americans and the Two Party System,” Winston-Salem, NC (November 9, 2016)
NPR, WFDD 88.5 FM, “Post-Election Analysis: Independent Voters,” Winston-Salem, NC (November 9, 2016)
NPR, WFDD 88.5 FM, “Election Day Coverage: African Americans and Partisanship,” Winston-Salem, NC (November 8, 2016)
WUAG, 103.1 “Improvisation as a Pedagogical Tool for Developmental Learning” (November 24, 2015) link
WMNF, 88.5 FM, Tampa, Florida, “Open Primaries and Top-Two Debate” (October 21, 2015) link
WBEZ, WAMU, WFYI, WFPL, WCVE, WLRN, WWNO, WABE, KUAR, KNPR, KALW, “Black Populism,” with Ed Ayers, BackStory with the American History Guys, Virginia Foundation for the Humanities (October 2015) link
NPR, WFDD 88.5 FM, “UNCG Historian: Greensboro Bill Defies NC History of Local Control,” Winston-Salem, NC (March 18, 2015) link
NPR, WUNC 91.5 FM, “Meet Omar Ali,” The State of Things with Frank Stasio, Durham, NC (November 6, 2012) link
NPR, WUNC 91.7 FM, “Independents Wary of Convention,” Greensboro, NC (August 30, 2012)
NPR, WUNC 91.5 FM, “The Impact of Independent Voters,” The State of Things with Frank Stasio, Triad Stage, Greensboro, NC (January 24, 2012) link
WBAI 99.5 FM, “People of Color and Third Party Election Movements,” Chaulk Dust with Sol McCants, New York, NY (January 2012)
NPR, WUNC 91.5 FM, “Race and Occupy Wall Street,” The State of Things with Frank Stasio, Durham, NC (November 15, 2011) link
NPR, WFDD 88.5 FM, “Independent Voters Want President’s Attention,” Winston-Salem, NC (October 20, 2011) link
NPR, WFDD 88.5 FM, “Islam, Democracy, and History,” Special Edition of Voices and Viewpoints, (September 9, 2011) link
WBAI 99.5 FM, “In the Lion’s Mouth,” Wake Up, New York, NY, (June 20, 2011)
NPR, WFDD 88.5, “Muslim Responses to Death of Bin Laden,” Winston-Salem, NC (May 2, 2011)
WBAI 99.5 FM, “Africans in Asia: The Arts and Music of Siddis in India,” Arts in New York, NY (April 15, 2011)
WJLD 104.1 FM, “Saturday Morning Talk” with Bobby D, Birmingham, AL (January 22, 2011)
WBHK KISS 98.7 FM, “Talk Back” with Julius White, Birmingham, AL (January 14, 2011)
NPR, WFDD 88.5, “Views and Viewpoint” with Denise Franklin, “Islam and Democracy in the United States” (November 19, 2010)
National Public Radio, WFDD FM 88.5, “The Rise of Unaffiliated Voters” Winston-Salem, NC (November 2, 2010) link
Michael Eric Dyson nationally-syndicated radio show, “Independent Voters” (October 8, 2010) link
Michael Eric Dyson nationally-syndicated radio show, “The Independent Movement” (September 6, 2010) link
WEAA 88.9 FM, Maryland Public Radio, “Listen Up!” with Justin Jones Fosu, Baltimore, Maryland (May 28, 2010) link
King Politics podcast with Dr. Marvin P. King, Jr., Oxford, Mississippi (January 7, 2009) link
BlogTalkRadio with Nancy Hanks, New York, New York (January 6, 2009) link
IndependentVoting.org with Jacqueline Salit, New York, New York (October 2009) link
WLIB 1190 AM, “Politics Plus” with Mark Riley, New York, New York (September 25, 2008)
WAOK 1380 AM, News and Talk, “The Right Side with Shelley Wynter,” Atlanta, Georgia (February 20, 2008) link
Mediatracks national radio syndication, “Slavery in the Aftermath of the American Civil War” (September 30-October 6, 2007) link
KMYX 92.5 FM, La Campsesina Radio, “California Redistricting and the Independent Voter,” Bakersfield, CA (April 5, 2005)
WTPL 107.7 FM, NPR affiliate – Arnie Arneson Show, Manchester, New Hampshire (January 9, 2004)
SFLR 93.7 FM, “Liberation Radio,” San Francisco, California (November 23, 2002)
KNON 89.3 FM, Dallas, Texas (November 4, 2002)
WBHK KISS 98.7 FM, “Talkback,” Birmingham, Alabama (October 27, 2002)
WJLD 1400 AM, Birmingham, Alabama (October 25, 2002)
WZMB 91.3 FM, Greenville, North Carolina (October 24, 2002)
WAOK 1380 AM, Rob Redding Show, Atlanta, Georgia (October 22, 2002)
WRUF 103.7 FM, Gainesville, Florida (October 17, 2002)
WCMU 89.5 FM, NPR affiliate – Mount Pleasant, Michigan (October 1, 2002)
WYSO 91.3 FM, NPR affiliate – Yellow Springs, Ohio (September 26, 2002)
WUSO 89.1 FM, The Berg, Springfield, Ohio (September 26, 2002)
WRNB 96.9 FM, Dayton, Ohio (September 23, 2002)
WQUN AM 1220, Hamden, Connecticut (September 16, 2002)
WYBC 94.3 FM and 1340 AM, “The Electric Drum,” New Haven, Connecticut (September 14, 2002)
National and International Board and Membership:
National Collegiate Honors Council, International Education Committee (2020-present)
London School of Economics and Political Science, BME Mentoring Program (2020-2022) link
Performing the World (International Organizing Committee, 2019-2020) link
Association of American International Sections, Association des Sections Internationales Américaines (AAMIS) (2016-2022; Executive Committee) link
All Stars Project, Inc. (Board of Directors, 2011-2017; Strategic Vision Committee) link
IndependentVoting.org (Board of Directors, 2003-2023) link
North Carolina Affiliations:
UNCG-McNair Scholars Program (Advisory Board, 2017-present) link
The North Carolina Consortium of Afro-Latin American/Latinx Studies
Forsyth Technical Community College (Associate in Arts College Transfer Advisory Board, 2018-2019)
Medicinal Chemistry Collaborative, UNCG (Researcher; 2018-present) link
North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership (Leadership Council, 2017-2019) link
Cone Health Foundation (Board of Directors, 2016-2018; Strategic Communications committee; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion ad hoc committee) link
Community Play!/All Stars Alliance Greensboro (Director, 2014-2019) link
Triangle African Studies Hub, Duke University (2016-present) link
North Carolina Independents (Member, 2010-present) link
The National Conference for Community and Justice (Board of Directors, 2016-2017) link
Scholars for a Progressive North Carolina (Member, 2012-2016) link
LINKS
Lloyd International Honors College
Islamic Studies Research Network
African American & African Diaspora Studies
Images: section of a portrait of Malik Ambar by the artist Hashim circa 1624 (from the Nasir al-Din Shah album, 7172 Ravaux, App. 6.4, courtesy, Gran Palais, Paris-Art Resource, NY); field trip with UNCG and NC State students to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, as part of Honors/AADS seminar “Africans in the Greco-Roman World” co-taught with Dr. Rebecca Muich, photograph taken by anonymous Met museum-goer; with Dr. Lenora Fulani at Lloyd International Honors College public conversation, UNC Greensboro, photograph by University Communications; tomb of Malik Ambar, Khuldabad, western Deccan, India, photograph by Omar H. Ali.