Cona Marshall

Cona Marshall is an Assistant Professor of American Religions at the University of Rochester's Department of Religion and Classics, part of the School of Arts & Sciences. She previously served as Director and Assistant Professor of Africana Studies at Lebanon Valley College and completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the Frederick Douglass Institute at UR. Her PhD in African American and African Studies (Cultural Rhetorics) was earned at Michigan State University in 2016.

• Education: PhD, Michigan State University, 2016

Her research focuses on womanism, Black feminism, the institutional dynamics of the Black church, and African American public religious rhetoric. She explores intersections of religion, race, and gender through analyses of contemporary cultural expressions like hip hop and preaching practices.

Her publications include work on Kanye West's theological rhetoric and Black women's activism in the Lauryn Hill Reader. An upcoming book, Ain’t I a Preacher?: Black Women’s Preaching Rhetoric, examines the rhetorical strategies of Black women in religious contexts.

Teaching includes courses on Black preaching rhetoric, Black church studies, and womanist religious discourse. She maintains an office in Rush Rhees Library and is actively engaged in academic research.