Who We Are

Nneka D. Dennie,

President and Co-Founder

contact@blackwomensstudies.com

Dr. Nneka D. Dennie is Assistant Professor of History, core faculty in Africana Studies, and affiliate faculty in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Washington and Lee University. She is also the co-founder of BWSA. Dr. Dennie’s research examines African American intellectual thought with an emphasis on nineteenth-century Black women. Her first book, Mary Ann Shadd Cary: Essential Writings of a Nineteenth-Century Black Radical Feminist, was published with Oxford University Press in 2023. Her monograph, Redefining Radicalism: Black Women Intellectuals in the Nineteenth Century, is a study of early Black radical thought. In 2024, Dr. Dennie received the Mellon Emerging Faculty Leaders Award from the Institute of Citizens and Scholars. Her work has been supported by the Center for Black Digital Research at Pennsylvania State University, as well as fellowships at Davidson College and MIT. Dr. Dennie’s work has been published in Palimpsest: A Journal on Women, Gender, and the Black International; Feminist Studies; Atlantic Studies: Global Currents; Slate; Business Insider; and more.

Shauna Rigaud,

Vice President

awards@blackwomensstudies.com

Dr. Shauna Rigaud is a cultural studies scholar whose work explores the intersections of race, gender, identity, and power within the African diaspora, with a particular focus on the anglophone Caribbean. Her research interests seek to draw doted lines between Black American and Caribbean American experiences, through the work of women, cultural practices, and ideas of solidarity and nation building. A first-generation college graduate, her academic journey began at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where she earned a B.A. in Afro-American History. She holds a dual Master’s in Gender/Cultural Studies and Communication Management from Simmons University in Boston and she completed her PhD in Cultural Studies from George Mason University, in Virginia. She is currently the Associate Director of the Office of Community Engagement and Civic Learning at George Mason University. She is also a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated.

**Melanie Holmes**,
Secretary

contact@blackwomensstudies.com
Dr. Melanie R. Holmes is an Assistant Professor of African American Studies at the University of South Carolina. She received her PhD in history with a specialization in the African Diaspora, and a certificate in Women’s Studies, at Howard University. Her research prioritizes the diverse regions, individual causes, and various strategies of Black Power movements.
Dr. Holmes was previously a lecturer at Howard University where she taught courses in the African Diaspora, United States History, Women’s Studies, and Caribbean Studies. Prior to entering academia, she earned her master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania. She worked in District of Columbia Public Schools for ten years as a Social Studies instructional coach, department chair, curriculum writer, and taught multiple secondary history courses. Having earned her Bachelor of Arts in print journalism from Howard University, Dr. Holmes began her career as a reporter for The Philadelphia Tribune and Afro-American Newspaper.

Jacinta R. Saffold,

Treasurer and Co-Founder

contact@blackwomensstudies.com

Dr. Jacinta R. Saffold is a visiting faculty fellow in the James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference at Emory University. She is an Assistant Professor of African American Literature and Culture at the University of Delaware and a digital archivist. She received her Ph.D. from the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst with certificates in African Diaspora Studies and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Dr. Saffold’s research interests coalesce around 20th and 21st century African American literature, Hip Hop Studies, and the Digital Humanities. She is concurrently working her first manuscript, Books & Beats: The Cultural Kinship of Street Lit and Hip Hop and and the Essence Book Project, a computational collection of popular African American Literature. She also has extensive experience as a scholar-administrator with emphases on enrollment management, inclusive diversity, and student success. Ultimately, Dr. Saffold is committed to widening access for minority students and shifting the culture in higher education to be more inclusive through a prism of African American literature and culture.