Kelly Allen

Kelly Allen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Research, Counseling, and Curriculum at Augusta University’s College of Education and Human Development. Specializing in hip-hop education as a liberatory praxis through critical race theory and trap feminism, her work confronts anti-Blackness in educational systems and elevates Black student and community experiences.

• Ph.D. in Urban Education (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2022)
• M.A. in Urban Education (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2018)

Her research focuses on pedagogical applications of hip-hop, race/racism in educational spaces, and decolonizing curricula. Recent publications include chapters in scholarly books and journal articles exploring TrapCrit perspectives, freedom dreaming, and critiques of whiteness in culturally responsive pedagogy. Key themes across her 2024–2025 articles center anti-Blackness, reparative praxis, and the integration of Black children’s worldmaking into educational frameworks.

Scientific Awards:

• 2022: Article of the Year, Journal of Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research

Kelly contributes to departmental and university governance through roles in search committees and the COEHD Curriculum and Academic Policies Committee. She also serves as a Faculty Advisor for the Georgia Aspiring Educators Organization and participates in peer review for AERA, Curriculum Inquiry, and conferences.