Rhea Estelle Lathan

Rhea Estelle Lathan is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Curriculum in the Department of Rhetoric and Composition at Florida State University. Her research focuses on African American literacies pedagogy, Afrifeminist theory, and critical race theory within rhetoric and composition. She holds a PhD in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2006), an MA in Afro American Studies (2000), and a BA in Africology and English (1997) from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Her work explores the literate histories of African diasporic women, community-based intellectualism, and the intersections of identity politics and social activism. Notable publications include Freedom Writing: African American Civil Rights Literacy Activism, 1955-1961 (2016) and articles on historical literacy activism and academic identity. Lathan has received numerous awards, including the Florida State University Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Award (2015) and the Transforming Through Teaching Award (2011).

Her teaching spans courses on rhetoric, composition methodologies, African American social movements, and Afrifeminist theories. She has secured grants such as the Woodrow Wilson Dissertation Fellowship (2005-2006) and the Public Humanities Collaborative Fellowship (2007-2008).