Mary Ellen Curtin

Mary Ellen Curtin is an Associate Professor at American University specializing in modern African American and women's social and political history. Her research examines racial justice systems, political representation, and historical narratives of marginalized communities.

She has published extensively on forced labor systems and Black political representation, including consulting for the PBS documentary Slavery by Another Name. In 2025, she will serve as a Fulbright Distinguished Scholar in the Humanities and Social Sciences at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland.