Damariyé L. Smith

Dr. Damariyé L. Smith is an Assistant Professor at San Diego State University, affiliated with the School of Communication and Journalism and Media Studies. He specializes in Contemporary Black/African American Rhetoric and Media Studies through an interdisciplinary lens.

• Education:
  • B.A. & M.A., California State University, Sacramento (2014, 2017)
  • Ph.D., The University of Memphis (2021)
• Research Focus:
  • Race, rhetoric, and media studies
  • Black male vulnerability and studies
  • Afrocentricity and Africana communication theory
  • Hip Hop, sports, and public address

His publications examine intersections of Black identity, media representation, and cultural production, including analyses of Obama’s HBCU speeches, Nipsey Hussle’s music, and Afrocentrism in cinematic narratives. Dr. Smith also served as the first Program Coordinator for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center at CSU Sacramento.