Active Research Projects
Erykah and a participant chatting on Zoom.
Illustration by ELOI.
Catharsis, Community, and Craft
Well-being and Collective Meaning-Making Among Black Creatives in the Platform Economy
In the midst of a changing economy—one that positions online-enabled storefront sites like Etsy and Shopify as expanding opportunities for entrepreneurs—this project directly engages with the question of how the history of racial exclusion persists in the digital entrepreneurship landscape. I interview Black creatives and craftspeople who sell products online to understand how they, individually and collectively, navigate the socioeconomic, emotional, and health impacts of platform work. Interview topics I may ask participants include:
Their craft and how they got their business started.
Their physical and emotional well-being in relation to their work.
Their engagement online and how they navigate using platform websites.
Participants receive $35 for their participation in a 1.5 hour interview.
This project is supported by the National Center for Institutional Diversity.
Interested in Participating in this Study?
Delivering Change in the Motor City?
Usage Patterns and Affective Experiences in Online Grocery and Meal Delivery in the City of Detroit
During the COVID-19 pandemic, online-enabled food access services like Instacart and DoorDash emerged as vital alternatives for households facing unprecedented obstacles to grocery shopping. In the years following the pandemic's onset, I use survey data from the Detroit Metro Area Communities Study to examine the relationship between the use of online grocery and meal delivery services and factors such as transportation insecurity, health status, and income level.
This project is supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, the U-M Population Studies Center, and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Public Attitudes Toward Reparations
The topic of reparations has gained renewed momentum at local and state levels in recent years. However, research gaps persist in understanding population-level support for various reparative policies aimed at addressing the legacy of slavery and discrimination against Black Americans. I collaborate with scholars at the Center for Social Solutions and Center for Racial Justice to explore public attitudes toward reparations in Michigan, in cities like Flint and Detroit.
This work is supported by the Ford School Center for Racial Justice.
