Kimberly C. Ransom

Kimberly C. Ransom is an Assistant Professor in the Education Policy, Organization and Leadership department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her scholarship bridges the History of African American Education and the History of Childhood, with a focus on oral histories and material culture from segregated schools in the Deep South during Jim Crow. She is a public scholar and artist, using historical research to create exhibits like the Historic Pickensville Rosenwald School Museum & Community Center in Alabama.

• Education:
  • Ph.D. in Educational Studies, University of Michigan
  • M.A. in History, DePaul University
  • B.S. in Education, Bradley University

Her research centers on Black children’s agency in marginalized contexts, particularly through autoethnography and critical race methodology. She has taught courses like EPOL 401: History of American Education and EPOL 403: Historical and Social Barriers in education. Her work has been funded by grants from the Black Belt Community Foundation and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Scientific Awards:

• NAEd Spencer Fellowship (2019)
• Rackham Dissertation Fellowship (2019)
• Rackham Public Scholarship Fellowship (2018)
• Rackham Public Scholarship Grant (2017)
• Jackson Scholar Award (2015)
• University of Chicago President’s Diversity Leadership Award (2013)
• Chicago Community Trust Fellowship (2011)
• New York University Women of Color Policy Fellowship (2010)

Dr. Ransom’s public-facing projects highlight the intersection of education, race, and cultural resistance, emphasizing how Black children’s experiences can reshape contemporary discourse on schooling and citizenship.