Elise Lemire

Elise Lemire is a Professor of Literature at Purchase College, SUNY, where she has served since at least 2011. Author of three acclaimed books—Black Walden, Miscegenation: Making Race in America, and Battle Green Vietnam—she specializes in the intersection of race, historical memory, and social activism in American contexts. Her work has been featured in Washington Post, History News Network, and documentaries like Concord’s Secret History.

• Education:
  • BA, Yale University
  • MA, PhD, Rutgers University
• Key Research Areas:
  • Race and Ethnic Studies
  • Historical Memory
  • Vietnam War History
  • Gender and Sexuality Studies
  • 19th-Century American Literature

Her 2021 book Battle Green Vietnam examines a reverse Paul Revere-style march by Vietnam Veterans Against the War through Concord and Lexington, blending Revolutionary War symbolism with antiwar activism. She has also contributed to LA Progressive, The Dial, and Commonplace, often analyzing racialized historical narratives through material culture and monuments.

Notable Awards:

• Walter Harding Distinguished Achievement Award (2025)
• SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (2019-2020)
• NEH Fellowships (2007-2008, 1999-2000)

She has presented extensively at conferences (Association of Philosophy and Literature, Organization of American Historians, Philosophy and Literature Conference) and is currently advising on the One More Mission documentary about Vietnam Veterans Against the War.