Geoff K. Ward

Geoff K. Ward is a Professor of African and African American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, with affiliations in Sociology and American Culture Studies. He directs the WashU & Slavery Project, part of the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity (CRE2). His work focuses on legacies of racial violence, reparative memory, and equal justice. Ward holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Michigan and a BA in Sociology from Hampton University.

Research interests include historical racial violence, transitional justice, and the intersection of race, crime, and justice. Recent projects explore reparative memory work and the role of anti-racist 'memory work' in addressing systemic injustices. Key publications include The Black Child-Savers (2012), an award-winning analysis of Jim Crow juvenile justice systems.

He has secured grants from the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Justice, Ford Foundation, and Mellon Foundation. Current initiatives include a Mellon-funded study on the virality of racial terror in historical newspapers (1863–1921), linking historical narratives to modern media dynamics.

Ward’s engaged scholarship bridges academia and public action, including archive development, exhibition curation, and digital projects. He serves on advisory boards for initiatives like the Mayor's Commemorative Landscape Taskforce in Clayton, MO, and the Reparative Justice Coalition of St. Louis.