Mesi Bakari-Walton

Dr. Mesi Bakari-Walton is an Assistant Professor of Spanish and African Diaspora Studies at Howard University’s College of Arts & Sciences, Department of World Languages & Cultures. She also serves as a Faculty Fellow in the COAS Honors Program. Her research focuses on Afro-diasporic cultural survivals, exploring how music, dance, and language serve as tools for identity and resistance in Latin America. She holds a Ph.D. in Afro-Latin Studies from Howard University (2019), with a focus on Afro-Venezuelan cultural traditions, and has conducted fieldwork in Colombia as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar.

Education:

• Ph.D. in African Studies (Howard University, 2019)
• M.A. in Spanish Language & Linguistics (Howard, 2012)
• M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education (Howard, 2003)
• B.S. in Human Development (Howard, 2002)

Research interests include Afro-Colombian cultural traditions, women’s collectives in Colombia’s Montes de Maria region, and the role of cultural practices in diasporic identity formation. Her work bridges Africana, Latin American, and Cultural Studies disciplines.

Awards: U.S. Fulbright Scholar (Colombia research).

Teaching and outreach: She teaches Spanish language and Afro-Hispanic culture courses, and organizes cultural exchange tours in Latin America for youth and adults.