معرفی
Leigh Soares is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of Maryland, College Park. She holds a Ph.D. in History from Northwestern University (2019). Her research focuses on African American history, particularly post-emancipation politics, Black institution-building, and the role of public historically black colleges in shaping civic engagement. Her current book project, Cradles of Citizenship: Public Black Colleges and Political Engagement from Emancipation to Civil Rights, examines how Black communities used public HBCUs as sites for political empowerment. She has published in the History of Education Quarterly and contributed to the 2022 PBS documentary Making Black America.
Dr. Soares teaches courses on African American women’s history, race and education, and the Civil War/Reconstruction era, emphasizing interdisciplinary perspectives on freedom and equality. She has received grant support from the George and Ann Richards Civil War Era Center and the NAEd/Spencer Foundation. Before joining UMD, she taught at Mississippi State University. Her work bridges academic scholarship and public engagement, advocating for equitable access to higher education.
