Shakita Thomas Kpetay

A native of Chicago, Illinois, by way of Mississippi, my research and teaching broadly focus on culture, power, education, particularly, urban school closures, Black education, Black intellectualism, and Black identity. In my research I examine how the political economy continues to impact the education of African American communities. I ask the following questions: 1) What are the educational experiences of African American communities and 2) How do they make sense of their educational experiences? To answer these questions, I engage in interdisciplinary conceptual frameworks and methodologies, including critical, cultural, Black feminist theories, oral history, historiography, and ethnography. To name a few, I have drawn on the work of Eve Ewing, Pauline Lipman, Rose Brewer, Cedric Robinson, Robin D.G. Kelley, W.E.B Du Bois, Carter G. Woodson, bell hooks, Cynthia Dillard, Christina Sharpe, and Shauna Sweeney to document, explicate, critique, and reimagine the education of African American communities, the work of educators, and the role of critical ethnic studies in the work of educating all students.

I created the Remnants of Hope Initiative that envisions a world where there is hope, joy, rest, and liberation. Included in this initiative is the RoH praxis that guides my research and teaching practices. The RoH praxis includes the process of (re) membering, (re) claiming, and (Re) newal.

I have been honored to receive several awards and fellowships that include: Advancing Black Intellectualism Award, Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy Fellowship, Outstanding Teaching and Dedication Award, Social Science Consortium Fellowship, Gates Millennium Award, and Posse Leadership Award.

Selected Publications

Shakita Thomas Kpetay. (2023). "We (Re) member: Progressive neoliberalism and school closures". Progressive Neoliberalism in Education: Critical perspectives on Manifestations and Resistance. Routledge: New York.

Shakita Thomas Kpetay, Brian Lozenski. (2021). "'To Their Benefit': Tracing (Pp)an-Africanism through Nonformal Black Educational Space". Educational Studies, 57 (5), 476-495.

Tiffany Smith, Shakita Thomas Kpetay, Bodunrin Banwo, Brandon Higgins. (2018). "The Commonalities that Makes Us Different: African American Identity in Cameroon and Ghana". The Global Impact Exchange: A Quarterly Publication of Diversity Abroad. Spring Edition, 26-28.