Erica Ball

Erica Ball is a Professor of Black Studies at Occidental College, Los Angeles, specializing in 19th-20th century African American history. Her work connects cultural production to freedom struggles, examining how Black communities shaped self-identity through advice literature, art, and media.

• Appointed: 2016
• Education: B.A. (Wesleyan), M.A./Ph.D. (CUNY Graduate Center)

Research Focus: Analyzes intersections between antislavery activism, middle-class formation, and popular memory of slavery. Current book project: Slavery in the American Imagination (2025) explores racism's cultural battlegrounds.

Awards:

• Black Perspectives' Best Black History Book 2020 (As If She Were Free)

Teaches courses in Black Studies and History, including Race and Popular Culture, Slavery/Freedom Memory, and Race Women's Protest Culture. Collaborates extensively with Latin American and Caribbean historians through co-edited projects.