About Me

I was born in California but spent most of my childhood in Durham, North Carolina.  The issues of race that continue to infuse everyday politics in Durham made a great impression on me as I was growing up.  My experiences there got me very interested in the ways that race have shaped and continue to influence life in the United States, particularly in urban environments. 

I attended college at Georgia Tech in Atlanta and majored in History, Technology, and Society.  I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in History at the University of Pittsburgh.  I specialize in twentieth-century American urban history and race.  For my dissertation, I am exploring intergroup relations between black and Latino communities in postwar Philadelphia.