History Research
As a public history student at Wayne State University, I love using archival research to tell stories of Metro Detroit history. I especially love digging through newspaper archives as a journalist, finding breaking news of the past. I’m trained in archival research and am familiar with a variety of local archives including the Walter P. Reuther and Burton Historical Library in Detroit, and the Bentley Historical Library in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Outlier Media
I have used newspaper archives to teach readers about public safety history in Detroit for my rewind column with Outlier Media. I’ve covered a variety of topics including:
The Detroit Police Officer Association's 30 year fight against police residency requirements.
How a legacy of racism in swimming recreation led to a fleet of portable swimming pools in Detroit.
The 10 year Michigan legislature battle to require photo IDs to vote.
Chalkbeat Detroit
As an intern for Chalkbeat Detroit, I helped contribute to their coverage about the 50th anniversary of the Milliken v Bradley case. Here, I helped:
Conduct archival and newspaper research.
Find and interview residents who experienced busing in the 1970s.
Interview current parents of DPSCD students about their thoughts about school segregation.
Academic Research
In 2023, I received an Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program grant from Wayne State University to complete an academic research project about abolitionist movements and early Black settlement in two rural midwest communities: Salem Township, Michigan and Vermilion County, Illinois. I found that underlying racism in abolitionist movements impacted how well predominantly white communities accepted (or did not accept) Black settlers. I presented this research at the Warrior Scholars conference at Wayne State University and the Political Science Research Symposium at Oakland University.
I wrote about my experience for Wayne State's history department newsletter published in fall 2024.
