Magaela Bethune

Magaela Bethune is an Assistant Professor of African American Studies at Loyola Marymount University's Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, joining in 2020. Her work centers on community-based research, focusing on Black adolescence, intersectionality, and institutional equity.

• Ph.D. and M.S. in Community Research and Action, Vanderbilt University
• B.A. in Biology with minor in Africana Studies, Georgia Southern University
• M.P.A., Georgia Southern University

Bethune's research integrates quantitative intersectionality methodologies to analyze race, gender, and health disparities. She collaborates with the United Methodist Church to address clergy inequities and explores adolescent media socialization's impact on identity.

Her community-engaged projects in Los Angeles aim to develop participatory frameworks for studying youth development, emphasizing structural systems of domination and racial formations. Bethune teaches courses like Introduction to African American Studies, Race and Contemporary Society, and Race, Health, and Social Justice.

While no specific scientific awards are documented, her publications span topics from media effects on sexual behavior to Trayvon Martin case analyses. She employs interdisciplinary approaches to bridge academic research with grassroots advocacy.

Magaela Bethune's work aligns with LMU's mission of engaged learning, leveraging Los Angeles as a site for studying adolescent health, media practices, and social justice interventions.