Marilisa Navarro

Marilisa Navarro serves as Assistant Professor of African American Studies in the College of Humanities and Sciences at Thomas Jefferson University, based at the East Falls Campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Her academic credentials include:

• PhD in Ethnic Studies from University of California, San Diego (2017)
• MA in Sociology from San Diego State University (2008)
• BA in Journalism and Mass Media Studies from Rutgers University (2002)
• Additional MA from San Diego State University

Dr. Navarro's research critically examines food systems as sites for racial identity formation and power negotiation, integrating critical ethnic studies, cultural analysis, and community engagement. Her work explores how culinary practices challenge structural inequalities through Black food sovereignty, veganism as anti-racism, and refugee community initiatives.

Her 2018-2021 publications reveal a cohesive scholarly trajectory centered on food justice, with increasing focus on racial resilience in culinary traditions. These works demonstrate methodological diversity through discourse analysis of popular culture alongside ethnographic studies of community food practices, while her earlier labor research informs contemporary analyses of systemic inequity.