LaKisha Michelle Simmons

LaKisha Michelle Simmons is an Associate Professor of History and Women's and Gender Studies at the University of Michigan, holding the Arthur F. Thurnau Professorship. She specializes in African American gender history, focusing on Black girlhood, family history, sexuality, and southern history in the 19th and 20th centuries. Her research explores themes such as Black motherhood, reproductive health, and the intersections of race, gender, and space.

Education: Simmons earned a B.A. in History from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. in History and Women’s Studies from the University of Michigan.

Research Interests:
Her work bridges historical analysis with contemporary cultural critique, particularly in examining Black girlhood’s global dimensions, geographies of pain and pleasure, and the impact of slavery on modern identities. She co-edited The Global History of Black Girlhood (2022) and authored Crescent City Girls (2015), which won the SAWH Julia Cherry Spruill Prize.

Awards and Recognition:
- SAWH Julia Cherry Spruill Prize (2015)
- ABWH Letitia Woods Brown Memorial Book Award Honorable Mention (2015)

Professional Contributions:
She co-founded the Global History of Black Girlhood Conference (2017) and co-edited special issues on Black girlhood and kinship for Women, Gender, and Families of Color and Hypatia on 'Conjure Feminism.' Current projects include a book on 19th-century Black motherhood and reproductive health histories.

Labs/Initiatives:
Simmons collaborates on interdisciplinary projects linking historical scholarship to contemporary social justice movements, emphasizing Black feminist geographies and cultural critique.