Jennifer Chudy

Jennifer Chudy is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Wellesley College, focusing on race and ethnicity in American politics. Her research explores racial sympathy among white Americans and its political implications, including voting behavior, protest participation, and donations to racial justice candidates.

• B.A., Brown University
• M.A., University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
• Ph.D., University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

She studies racial sympathy through surveys, experiments, and interviews, with a forthcoming book titled Some White Folks: The Interracial Politics of Sympathy, Suffering, and Solidarity (Fall 2024). Her work has been featured in New York Times, Washington Post, and Journel of Politics, and she has provided commentary for media outlets such as Fivethirtyeight and NPR.

Her current research, supported by the Russell Sage Foundation, investigates whether racial sympathy among white Americans translates into political actions like voting or activism. Her publications span topics including racial sympathy, collective guilt, and structural barriers in political behavior.