Jamila Moore-Pewu

Dr. Jamila Moore-Pewu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of American Studies at the University of Maryland. Her research focuses on African Diasporic spatial practices, public humanities, and digital storytelling. She holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies from the University of California, Davis, and a B.A. in American Studies and English from Tufts University, with a minor in Africana Studies.

Her work emphasizes collaboration with artists, scholars, and communities to preserve and reimagine historical and contemporary spatial narratives. Key projects include Reimagining Little Liberia: Restoration and Reunion, an exhibit highlighting a 19th-century Black and Native American historic site in Bridgeport, CT, and MAPPING ARTS OC, a digital project visualizing arts in Orange County. She is Executive Director of The Museum of the City, a virtual museum exploring urban spaces, and co-PI on the Mellon-funded Digital Ethnic Futures Consortium.

Dr. Moore-Pewu advocates for community-engaged digital humanities and first-generation student pathways. Her current book manuscript, Exit Strategies: Liberia, America and the Promise of Freedom, explores the historical and contemporary meanings of "Liberia." She teaches courses on Black public humanities, American studies methodologies, and museum research.

Her grants include $25,000 from the Graham Foundation and Fairfield County’s Community Foundation for Reimagining Little Liberia. She also leads initiatives like the CSUF Digital Ethnic Studies program and the DH@CSU Consortium, advancing digital humanities in California State institutions.