About
I am an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Princeton University.
As an economic and urban sociologist, my work explores questions of race, poverty and social policy within a complex and fast-changing economy. Most of my work focuses empirically on the field of low-income housing policy. I am a faculty affiliate with the Race & Capitalism project (at University of Chicago) and Progressive International’s Debt Justice Working Group, and I also serve on the Board of Directors for the Arch City Defenders (a holistic legal defense agency), and on the Social Science Advisory Board for the Poverty & Race Research Action Council.
My upbringing in the Washington DC metropolitan area during the Marion Barry era nurtured my sociological imagination and fed my curiosity about the economic and political life of cities. I have been fortunate to build and reflect on my experiences--and raise new questions--while earning a BA and MA in Sociology at Hampton University (in Hampton, VA) and George Mason University (in Fairfax, VA), respectively. In June 2016, I received a PhD in Sociology from Northwestern University, where I was also a Legal Studies Fellow.
My approach to sociological research and teaching is rooted in the conviction that sociologists can be both critical and constructive. We can hone our critical ability to identify and theorize the patterns and assumptions that structure the vast inequalities of American society. But we can also speak meaningfully to the many audiences who are also seeking and devising answers to the problems that vex us. I try to carry this principle into everything I do professionally.