Thank you Los Angeles. Hello, D. C.

During these uncertain and unprecedented times, when people are facing a global health crisis and financial uncertainty, there is no easy way to discuss personal achievements and it is hard to find the right way to contextualize or adequately describe joy. Our current moment is yet another iteration of anti-Black racism that fuels eugenicist thinking, incomplete reporting that has led to victim-blaming, and political leaders who exude gross incompetence and exacerbate harm to Black people (particularly those who find themselves at the intersections of structural inequalities).  With that said, I am excited to begin the next step in my career by joining American University’s School of Education and the Antiracist Policy Center as a postdoctoral researcher. I am grateful for this wonderful opportunity to work alongside a great group of scholars who share the same goals and have welcomed me into their community. None of this would have been possible without their foresight, along with the mentorship and support from my USC family.

Making the move to D.C. from LA brings a bittersweet conclusion to what has truly been a life-changing experience. I did not get to walk for graduation, party with friends, or properly thank the community members who turned LA into home for me. However, I want to give a special shoutout to those in Compton, Watts, Inglewood, Leimert Park, and of course, Ladera Heights that allowed me to grow professionally and personally into a scholar and resident of South LA. I am looking forward to building the same type of connections in the DMV area, whenever that may be possible again.

 I wish for everyone to stay healthy as I say hello to D.C and I love you, Los Angeles!