I am about two-thirds of what I always wanted to be:

A journalist, a teacher, and a diplomat.

I’m currently an associate professor of race and political communication in the Hussman School of Journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

I’m a two-time graduate of Florida A&M University (B.A., political science, 2002; M.S., newspaper journalism, 2006). I earned my Ph.D. in mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2014.

I’m a journalist by training, and have worked for the Capital Outlook (Fla.), the Tallahassee Democrat, the Austin American-Statesman and the Raleigh News & Observer. For a while, I contributed to Poynter.org’s diversity column and USA TODAY.

My research focuses on the intersections of race, media, and power – covering everything from media processes like newsroom hiring and reporting practices to the digital narratives constructed by social media communities. I’ve studied Black Twitter since 2010, and am finishing a book about it. TheRoot.com thought enough of my work to name me No. 66 of the most 100 influential Black Americans on their 2015 Root 100 list.

I’m a Kentucky girl by raising, a cat person by nature, and a devoted fan of Grey’s Anatomy. Put fresh peonies, Scottish Terriers, good jellybeans, and mint chocolate chip ice cream in a summoning circle, and *poof!* I’ll appear.