LaShawn D. Harris

LaShawn D. Harris is an Associate Professor of History at Michigan State University’s College of Social Science, Department of History. She previously served as Managing and Book Review Editor for the Journal of African American History. Her research focuses on African American, Black Women’s, and urban histories, with a specialization in 20th-century social, cultural, and labor dynamics in the United States.

Her monograph Sex Workers, Psychics, and Number Runners: Black Women in New York City’s Underground Economy (2016) won major awards including the OAH Darlene Clark Hine Award and Philip Taft Labor Prize. She explores police violence’s impact on Black communities, currently completing a monograph on 1980s New York City for Beacon Press. Her work has been featured in media outlets like The History Channel, Vice, and Black Perspectives.

• Teaching: Courses include African American History, Black Women’s History, Urban History, and Historical Research Methods.
• Media Engagement: Regular contributions to public discourse on race, gender, and historical memory.