Remembering Prof. Ángel David Nieves
The Reckonings Project team honors and remembers our Co-Principal Investigator, colleague, and friend, Ángel David Nieves. As one of the co-founders of Reckonings, Ángel brought not only a guiding vision for the project, but also a trusted voice in both social justice and community partnership which he developed over a long and celebrated career in the digital humanities.
Ángel David Nieves was Dean’s Professor of Public and Digital Humanities and Professor of Africana Studies, History, and Digital Humanities in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH) at Northeastern University and an Affiliate Professor in the Department of English and in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, Director of the Graduate Program in Public History, and Director of the Humanities Center in CSSH. Among his many publications are An Architecture of Education: African American Women Design the New South and the award-winning People, Practice, Power: Digital Humanities Outside the Center, and articles in journals such as American Quarterly or The Journal of Planning History. Nieves received his Ph.D. from Cornell University in the history of urban development and Africana Studies. He held an M.A. in socio-cultural anthropology and Women’s Studies from Binghamton University (SUNY) and a Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) degree from Syracuse University.
Please see this message from December 15, 2023.
Ángel's career and life are commemorated by his friends, family, and colleagues on a memorial website, https://www.angeldavidnieves.com. We encourage you to share your memories.
Principal Investigators
Kabria Baumgartner is a historian of the nineteenth-century United States, specializing in the history of education, African American women’s and gender history, and the New England region.
Dan Cohen is the Vice Provost for Information Collaboration, Dean of the Libraries, and professor of history at Northeastern University. His work has focused on the impact of digital media and technology on all aspects of knowledge and learning, from the nature of libraries and their evolving resources, to twenty-first century research techniques and software tools, to the changing landscape of communication and publication.
Together with Kabria Baumgartner and Dan Cohen, Uta G. Poiger leads the Reckonings Project. Her work focuses on new community-engaged frameworks for the humanities, supported by digital technologies. Poiger has held a number of administrative leadership roles at Northeastern.
Reckonings Project Faculty
Régine Michelle Jean-Charles is a Black feminist literary scholar and cultural critic who works at the intersection of race, gender, and justice. Her scholarship and teaching in Africana Studies include expertise on Black France, Sub-Saharan Africa, Caribbean literature, Black girlhood, Haiti, and the diaspora. She is the author of Conflict Bodies: The Politics of Rape Representation in the Francophone Imaginary (Ohio State University Press, 2014), The Trumpet of Conscience Today (Orbis Press, 2021), and Looking for Other Worlds: Black Feminism and Haitian Fiction (University of Virginia Press, 2022). She is currently working on two book projects–one explores representations of Haitian girlhood, and the other is a co-authored interdisciplinary study of sexual violence entitled The Rape Culture Syllabus. Dr. Jean-Charles is a regular contributor to media outlets like The Boston Globe, Ms. Magazine, WGBH, America Magazine, and Cognoscenti, where she has weighed in on topics including #metoo, higher education, and issues affecting the Haitian diaspora.
Denise Khor is a media historian working on early cinema history, film preservation, and Asian American film and media culture. She is the author of Transpacific Convergences: Race, Migration and Japanese American Film Culture before World War II (University of North Carolina Press, 2022), which explores the historical experiences of Japanese Americans at the cinema and traces an alternative network of film production, circulation, and exhibition. Areas of research specialization include film and media history, early cinema, nontheatrical film, critical ethnic studies, and Asian American Studies.
Jessica Parr (she/they) is a historian of the Early Modern Atlantic, specializing in race and memory long eighteenth century, as well as in digital humanities, and archival studies. They are the author of Inventing George Whitefield: Race, Revivalism, and the Making of a Religious Icon (U. Press of Mississippi). The book explores Whitefield’s development as a symbol shaped in the complexities of revivalism, the contest over religious toleration, and the conflicting roles of Christianity for enslaved people. Evangelical Christianity’s emphasis on “freedom in the eyes of God,” combined with the problems that the rhetoric of the Revolution posed for slavery, also suggested a path to political freedom. (Photo credit: John Legg. Courtesy of The Bright Institute.)
Dr. Lily Song is an urban planner and activist-scholar who holds a joint appointment between the School of Architecture and the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University. She is an award-winning educator who teaches courses on anti-displacement, participatory action research, public participation, community-driven design, and community development. Song’s research and scholarship focus on the relations between urban infrastructure and redevelopment initiatives, socio-spatial inequality, and race, class, and gender politics in American cities and other decolonizing contexts. Her work both analyzes and informs infrastructure-based mobilizations and experiments that center the experiences and insights of historically marginalized groups as bases for reparative planning and design. She has published in a number of journals, including the Journal of Architecture Education, Journal of the American Planning Association, Journal of Urban Affairs, International Development Planning Review, and Planning Theory and Practice.
Reckonings Staff
Dzidzor (Jee-Jaw) is a Ghanian-American folklore, performing artist, author, and curator. Dzidzor’s style of call and response has combined traditional storytelling in Afro-folklore and Poetry Slam through a sonic experience. Dzidzor is moved by the responsibility to alarm the power/abundance in the midst of bodies while creating a practice of care and freedom through creativity. Dzidzor is the founder of Black Cotton Club and partners with Grubstreet, ICA Boston, and Boston Public Schools to teach creative empowerment workshops in Boston.
Jen Grieve is the project manager for Reckonings. She coordinates and aligns the project’s activities, tracks project and grant deliverables, and enables better communication and collaboration across the team and with partners. She brings almost five years of Northeastern institutional knowledge and relationships to the project. Jen also has a M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Emerson College and B.A. in Political Science from Penn State University.
Greg Lord is a designer and developer with over 15 years of experience in digital humanities research and development. His previous experience includes the University of Maryland’s MITH (Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities), Hamilton College’s Digital Humanities Initiative (DHi), NASA, and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), having served in roles as a graphic/web designer, software engineer, 3D modeler, and virtual reality developer.
Current Co-Creators
ThankGod Ahumibe is a second year master’s student of English at Northeastern University. His research lies at the intersection of rhetoric, composition, and digital humanities, and how these can be utilized as a tool to advocate for social-justice with particular focus on the Nigerian literary landscape. He is enrolled in Northeastern University’s Digital Humanities certificate program, where he is working on an innovative project to digitize and encode poems by a Nigerian poet. This project aims to highlight themes of social justice, cultural heritage, gender issues, political commentary, and emigration, demonstrating his commitment to preserving and promoting Nigerian literature through digital means. He currently collaborates with JerriAnne Boggis of Black Heritage Trail New Hampshire to develop a workshop for creating, hosting, and successfully delivering a community engagement talk series. He also works as a Graduate Tutor at the Northeastern University writing center. In addition to his academic pursuits, ThankGod has an affinity for creative writing. Prior to his current studies, he earned a master’s degree in Discourse Analysis from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. This background in linguistic analysis informs his current work, providing a solid foundation for his exploration of rhetoric and composition.
Julia Block is a fourth-year student pursuing a B.A. in Media and Screen Studies and English at Northeastern University. She is interested in expanding her skills in multiple disciplines, focusing on merging the written word with audiovisual media to express ideas and convey meaningful narratives.
Tiffany Cruz is a Ph.D. student in the English Department at Northeastern University, specializing in people of color in nineteenth-century British literature. Passionate about amplifying the voices of those from the past and bringing them to life in the present, she also explores contemporary texts that adapt classic works, examining the enduring interest in historical novels and the significance of centering people of color within these narratives. Her research focuses on the constructions of genre and how they shape both classical and modern texts, particularly in relation to race, while exploring how literature reflects and influences societal values and identities. She is also a research assistant on the Nineteenth Century for Northeastern’s Mapping Black London.
From July to December 2024, Andres Garcia, a third-year Computer Science major and Game Design minor, is working as one of the Underecologies Research Assistant and Digital Assets Manager Co-ops with Drs. Manjapra and Poiger. For Reckonings, Andres has focused on researching musicians who played in the venues of Jazz Square, and is developing a musicians’ database as well as digital tools to make community contributions to archives dedicated to Boston’s inspiring and complex jazz history possible.
Safia Ibrahim is a first-year student at Northeastern University pursuing a B.S. in Criminal Justice and Psychology. Her interests include immigration, prison reform, and exploring the intersection between mental health and the criminal justice system. She is passionate about understanding how these issues shape and influence one another within the legal system.
Holly Lyczak is a first-year student pursuing a B.A. in International Affairs and Spanish at Northeastern University. Her studies have made her interested in policy making at an international level. This can include topics on women’s and civil rights, immigration, and the environment with a focus on ethnic and cultural inclusion within these policies. She is passionate about learning about how various international organizations pertaining to global politics shape policy, specifically in Spanish-speaking countries.
Anne is a second-year Journalism and Communication Studies student with a minor in Public Relations at Northeastern University. She is passionate about creating stories that resonate with people and exploring various mediums to share them, such as writing, cinematography, and photography. Her goal is to create work that not only informs but also captures the interest of the audience.
Contributors
Melody is a World History PhD student at Northeastern University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in music from Wright State University. She has experience working as a press assistant at Huskiana press, Northeastern’s experiential letterpress studio, and was a research assistant for Apartheid Heritage(s) Project. Her research interests include the history of imperialism in Iran in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, history of the Great War, and Environmental history of the Middle East.
Emily graduated from the American University in Washington, D.C. in the fall of 2020, where she received a BA in History with a minor in Art History. She then attended and graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2022, receiving a MA in Museum Studies. Emily has worked at both the Scottish Rite House of the Temple (October 2020-February 2021) and the Smithsonian American Art Museum (September 2022-April 2023) as a museum intern, and most recently was contracted by the Smithsonian American Art Museum (June 2023-August 2023) to assist in digitizing a conservation project. Emily’s research interests include public history, the study of monuments and their purpose in American society, and studies surrounding the legacy of the American Civil War. Born and raised in Delaware, Emily is excited to begin her studies at Northeastern University in 2023 and is looking forward to exploring New England!
Dipa Desai is a PhD student in Public Policy at the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, with a concentration in Sustainability and Resilience. She is curious about the connections among current climate change, social injustice, and economic inequity. She is broadly interested in equitable climate adaptation and mitigation solutions for coastal cities.
Victoria earned her B.A. in French and International Relations from the University of Rochester in 2021 and began the World History doctoral program at Northeastern University the following semester. Victoria’s research interests include the intentional modern manipulations of French memory during times of conflict that continue to influence race relations , identity, and other aspects of French society.
Janika graduated with honors from Brigham Young University (BYU) with a BA in Communications and a minor in German. Her honors thesis, Female Arguments: An Examination of the Utah Woman’s Suffrage Debates of 1880 and 1895, was accepted to the annual conference of the American Journalism Historians Association. She completed a joint master’s degree in organizational behavior and international development at the BYU Marriott School of Business, where she wrote an ethnographic thesis, Korean Women Workers from Their Own Perspective: The Causes and Strategies for Managing Early Retirement. She speaks German and Korean and has studied and worked in Austria, Germany, and South Korea. Janika was an adjunct instructor at BYU (organizational behavior), Harvard College (sociology), and Northeastern (organizational communications). She works at Harvard Business School in MBA Student Services and freelances at various outlets as a journalist, podcaster, and writing coach. Janika loves living in the Boston area and especially enjoys exploring New England with her husband and four children.
Halima Haruna is a first-year PhD student in World History at Northeastern University. Her research interests are at the intersection of the decolonization of knowledge through spiritual practice. Her creative practice begins with cultural theory based on Yoruba socio-politics and expands to connect with lived experiences of Black people, expressed through performance and video. Her work has been shown internationally at Display Gallery, Prague; Narrative Projects, London and the 12th edition of the African Biennale of Photography. She received a MA in Research Architecture from Goldsmiths, University of London in 2018.
Sayyara is a first-year Ph.D. student at Northeastern University, enrolled in the World History program. Her research interests revolve around the origins of cultural and political inequities in Azerbaijani museums following the collapse of the Soviet Union. To delve into this topic, she plans to adopt a diversity, equity, access, and accessibility lens and analyze sources from countries within the former USSR region. Additionally, Sayyara aims to create a toolkit for museum practitioners interested in critically reflecting on the impact of colonialist history on their field and employing more inclusive practices.
Claire Lavarreda is a World History Ph.D. student at Northeastern University, focusing on Indigenous history, archives, memory, and material culture. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Eastern Connecticut State University in 2021, where she majored in History and Social Sciences and minored in Spanish. Claire has interned for a variety of archives and institutions, including the Law Library of Congress and the Journal of the Plague Year. She has also received several scholarships and awards, including a HASTAC (Humanities, Arts, Science and Technology Alliance and Collaboratory) Honorarium and the James Davies Scholarship via the Rare Book School. She has also attended the Digital Humanities Summer Institute and previously worked for the Civil Rights And Restorative Justice Project. As a scholar with mixed heritage, Claire strives to approach her work with intersectionality, mixing Public History and Digital Humanities into her research.
Savita Maharaj is an English Ph.D. student at Brandeis University specializing in contemporary and eighteenth-century Caribbean history and literature, archival theory, critical histories of race and gender, decolonial methods, and postcolonial theory. She graduated from Northeastern University with a BA in English in May 2022.
Ami Mazumdar is a second-year student pursuing a B.S. in Business Administration at Northeastern University. Having conducted web-based research, surveyed prior studies, analyzed data and ran surveys as a Research Assistant in his Freshman year, Ami has joined the Reckonings team as a Project Assistant. As part of the Reckonings Team, Ami provides support to the staff leads of the project by conducting research and drafting content for various Reckonings projects.
Rose-Laura Meus is currently a B.A. Candidate in International Affairs and History at Northeastern University who is also pursuing an M.A. in World History
I am a doctoral student in World History at Northeastern with a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. My research interests include examining how workers have resisted, shaped, and mediated colonialism. I hope to understand how power operates in eighteenth and nineteenth century communities through studying the intersection between race, labor, and gender. I am also currently a research assistant at the Worker Institute at Cornell University working on projects involving the role of labor unions in creating climate change policy.
Titilayo Odedele is a graduate of Boston College, where she received her BA in Sociology, and Northeastern University, where she received her MS in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Her research interests include the sociology of law, historical sociology, and the sociology of labor with a regional focus on the Black Atlantic.
Kristin is a PhD student in world history whose academic emphasis focuses on the Web and Internet in the 1990s into the early 2000s as well as the British Empire during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Jeta Perjuci is a second-year student at Northeastern University pursuing a B.A. in media and screen studies and journalism. She is interested in multimedia storytelling with a focus in creative expression through video, often being influenced by her global experience.
Asia Potts is a Ph.D. student studying contemporary Black literature in the English Department. Potts’ research is grounded in Afrofuturism and narratives of intergenerational and lived experiences of Black women throughout the diaspora. Her work explores the long-standing presence of Afrofuturiste aesthetics in 20th and 21st-century literature and argues that Afrofuturism is an integral tenet of Black women’s creative and intellectual thought. By examining the genre as a Black literary tradition and feminist movement, she aims to further identify elements of Afrofuturist feminism and canonize Black women writers in Afrofuturism’s ancestral genealogy.
Alanna Prince is a PhD candidate in the university’s English department. Her work focuses on late 20th and 21st-century Black literature and visual culture, with a particular emphasis on historical resonance, poetics, and gender/sexuality. She also has participated in several Digital Humanities projects on campus, including the Early Caribbean Digital Archive, where she acts as a Metadata and Acquisitions Lead.
Shavaun Sutton is a second-year doctoral student. She holds a master’s in public health in Community Health Sciences from SUNY Downstate School of Public Health. She strives to promote equity via the analysis of nuanced narratives and lived experience. Seeking to amplify voices silenced by oppression and marginalization, Shavaun critically engaged with Black girl- and womanhood, state-sanctioned violence, and erasure as epistemic violence, particularly the erasure of Black narratives in white-majority spaces, through the lens of Black Feminist Thought.
Cassie Tanks is a first year World History Ph.D. student at Northeastern University. During the course of her studies, Cassie aims to deepen her engagement with public facing historical and archival work, as well as explore the histories of the Cold War, paramilitarism, liberation, and veterans experiences. She is a research assistant for Dr. Angel David Nieves and his 3D spatial history publication, Apartheid Heritage(s), and Reckonings.
Adam Tomasi is a third-year PhD student specializing in the trans-Atlantic Left in the twentieth century, with a special focus on the underground press and intellectual history.
Ana is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Political Science at Northeastern University, specializing in American Politics and Comparative Politics. She has a strong background and interest in nationalism, the politics of exclusion in the American far-right, and American political history. Ana has taught Comparative Politics twice as an instructor of record. She has also served as a Teaching Assistant for Modern Political Thought, U.S. Civil Liberties, and Holocaust and Comparative Genocide
Elijah is a PhD student in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs with a concentration in Urban and Regional Policy. Elijah recently completed his MPA at Florida State University where his studies focused on civic engagement, community policing, and police reform. His studies now focus on the ‘Solidarity Economy’ and the potential that this alternative development framework has for improving the political and economic conditions of historically marginalized Americans.