Nghana Lewis

Nghana Lewis is a Professor of English and Africana Studies at Tulane University, with adjunct roles in Psychology and faculty affiliation with the School of Law. She concurrently serves as District Judge in Louisiana’s 40th Judicial District Court. Her research focuses on Black literary/cultural studies, Black women’s health, and juvenile justice. She holds a PhD in English from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and legal degrees from Loyola University New Orleans and Duke University’s Bolch Judicial Institute.

• Education: MJS (Duke Law), JD (Loyola), PhD (UIUC), BA (Tulane)

Her work bridges academia and activism through initiatives like The Literacy Clinic (a court-based education program) and the Black Women’s Health Conference. She launched PEAJJES, a judicial education seminar funded by The Murphy Institute, to improve justice systems through interdisciplinary frameworks.

Her publications include Entitled to the Pedestal (2009) and Black Women’s Health in the Age of Hip Hop & HIV/AIDS (2025). She co-founded the Black Women’s Health Conference Task Force at Tulane, convening biennial conferences on health equity.

Grants: Received funding from The Murphy Institute for judicial education initiatives. Advising: No formal advisee list provided, though her programs engage community stakeholders and legal professionals.

Labs/Initiatives: The Literacy Clinic (criminal justice literacy support), PEAJJES (judicial education), and the Black Women’s Health Conference Task Force.