Kali Nicole Gross

Kali Nicole Gross is the National Endowment for the Humanities Professor and Chair of African American Studies at Emory University. She is also a Distinguished Lecturer for the Organization of American Historians (OAH). Her research focuses on Black women’s historical experiences within the U.S. criminal justice system and their resistance to racism and sexism, including their use of unconventional methods such as violence to demand justice. Her work has been recognized in media outlets like TIME, The Washington Post, and BBC News.

Her seminal book Vengeance Feminism (2024) won the 2025 PEN Open Book Award and ASALH Book Prize. It explores Black women’s acts of defiance in the 20th century, using archival evidence to highlight their agency in Philadelphia and beyond. Gross has held prestigious grants and fellowships, including the Carnegie Fellowship and Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship.

• Grants & Awards: Carnegie Fellowship, Schomburg Center Scholar-in-Residence Award, Ford Foundation Fellowship, and Public Voices Fellow for The Op-Ed Project.
• Media Engagement: Regular contributor to C-Span, MSNBC, NPR, and outlets like The Root.
• Current Research: Historical experiences of Black women and capital punishment in the U.S.