Seanna Leath and Sheretta Butler-Barnes write on the 10-year anniversary of Michael Brown, Sonya Massey and the decade of police violence.
Seanna Leath
Professor Seanna (Shawna) Leath studies how cultural and ecological factors inform positive developmental outcomes among Black youth and young adults, with a particular focus on gendered and racialized processes.
She directs the Fostering Healthy Identities and Resilience (FHIRe) Collaborative, a diverse and incredible research team of undergraduate and graduate students and community partners who are collectively invested in Black women and girls’ health and wellness.
Within the lab, she uses Black feminist epistemologies and interdisciplinary approaches in education and psychology to understand how intersectional systems of oppression (e.g., ableism, classism, racism, and sexism) influence Black women and girl’s daily experiences, as well as their health and wellness across the lifespan.
She draws upon quantitative (cross-sectional surveys, daily diary and longitudinal surveys) and qualitative (individual interviews, focus groups and case studies) methods to examine Black women and girls’ developmental trajectories related to gendered racial identity, academic performance, social connection, and mental health.
Additionally, she strives to co-create mutually beneficial and sustainable community partnerships, with the goal of leading research and social programming initiatives that directly improve the wellbeing of Black women and girls through developmental science.