Mary Frances Phillips

Mary Frances Phillips is an Associate Professor in the Department of African American Studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, specializing in race, gender, and post-1945 social movements within the Modern Black Freedom Struggle and Black Feminism frameworks.

Her academic credentials include:

• Ph.D. in African American and African Studies, Michigan State University
• M.A. in African American and African Studies, The Ohio State University
• B.S. in Health Studies, Michigan State University

Dr. Phillips' research excavates Black women's political and spiritual leadership in liberation movements, with emphasis on carceral resistance and gender dynamics in the Black Panther Party. Her interdisciplinary methodology bridges historical analysis with critical race theory and feminist epistemology, particularly examining how Black women navigate state violence while sustaining community care networks.

Her scholarly recognition includes multiple competitive fellowships:

• Institute for Advanced Study Faculty Fellowship at Notre Dame (2021-2022)
• AAUW Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship (2018-2019)
• BRESI Grant (CUNY)
• Center for Place, Culture, and Politics Fellowship (CUNY)
• Faculty Fellowship Publication Program (CUNY)

Dr. Phillips is authoring the groundbreaking biography Black Panther Woman: The Political and Spiritual Life of Ericka Huggins (2025, NYU Press), the first comprehensive study of Huggins' activism and spiritual leadership. Her work appears in SOULS, Women's Studies Quarterly, and Western Journal of Black Studies, while public scholarship reaches broader audiences through TIME Magazine, Ms. Magazine, and Huffington Post.