Kendra Taira Field

Kendra Taira Field is an Associate Professor of History at Tufts University, where she also serves as Director for the Center for Public History and Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy. Her research focuses on U.S. history, African American and Afro-Native experiences, family history, and genealogy.

• Education: PhD in American History from New York University (2010), MPP from Harvard University (2002), BA from Williams College (1999).

In her work, Field interweaves personal and collective narratives to explore how race, gender, and colonialism shape historical memory. Her acclaimed book Growing Up with the Country: Family, Race, and Nation after the Civil War (2018) examines post-emancipation migrations, while her ongoing project The Stories We Tell (W.W. Norton) investigates African American genealogy and storytelling.

Field's recent research, including her article The Privilege of Family History (2022), highlights the intersection of historical scholarship and public engagement. Her work bridges academia and media, featuring in documentaries like Tulsa Burning (2021) and the HBO Max series Breaking New Ground (2024).

• Scientific Awards: Sheila Biddle Ford Foundation Fellowship (2025-26), Whiting Creative Nonfiction Award (2023), NAACP W.E.B. Du Bois Award (2022), Spur Award (2017), Boahen-Wilks Prize (2016), and fellowships from Ford, Mellon, Huntington, and Charles Warren Center.

Field co-founded the Du Bois Forum, a retreat for Black writers and scholars, and leads the 10 Million Names Project, which recovers names of enslaved individuals. She also co-curated the Black Feminist DC exhibition for the National Women's History Museum.