Dr. Jacinta Saffold
Founded in 2018 with the recognition that Black women’s perspectives have long been marginalized in academia, BWSA was birthed as a necessary space for scholars dedicated to studying Black women’s histories, politics, literature, and lived experiences. Unlike traditional academic organizations that can be exclusive or rigid in their scope, BWSA is intentionally inclusive, embracing interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches to the field of Black Women’s Studies.
When co-founder and treasurer Dr. Jacinta Saffold and the organization’s president, Dr. Nneka Dennie enrolled at the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst as doctoral students, they saw similarities in their research but began experiencing challenges within existing organizations aimed at supporting their work.
“It was difficult for us to collaborate, present together, and align our thought processes at first, but we recognized the value in working together,” said Saffold, who is currently an assistant professor of African American literature at the University of Delaware. “In graduate school, we began exchanging documents for awards, fellowships, grants, and other opportunities and we realized that while our research was separate, it was also complementary, allowing us to strengthen each other’s applications. We kept saying there should be an organization that highlights how our work connects rather than divides. That’s how this all began.”
Today, the BWSA has grown from a small initiative into a thriving digital community. Saffold remembers the first time the group received recognition for their work.
“The first time that I saw the Black Women's Studies Association acknowledged in someone's first monograph, I cried. I just cried,” she said.
