Mission

Our Mission Statement

The Anna Julia Cooper Project on Gender, Race, and Politics in the South is endowed with the multifaceted mission:

  • to move beyond the black/white paradigm in the study of race while still paying attention to this historically important divide;
  • to focus specifically on the social and identity cleavages within racialized communities, specifically the intersections of gender, class, sexuality, and region;
  • to investigate the linkages between race, gender and expressive culture and to understand the role of race, gender, and region in shaping cultural production;
  • to investigate identity and politics with social scientific, humanistic and legal tools in a way that brings together individuals in academic departments, professional schools, and activist communities;
  • to combine the pursuits of the academy and the community in a way that challenges the traditional barriers of the ivory tower;
  • to take advantage of technology and emerging media to promote the work of scholars and to connect students and community in meaningful ways;
  • to provide an environment where young scholars, established scholars, community activists, and students can work together with mutual respect.
Anna Julia Cooper’s Bio