My year at the Simmons Center has offered a wonderful opportunity to grow, exchange ideas and reflect as a member of its unique scholarly community. The Center’s support has been instrumental in advancing my book project, “An Empire of Plunder: Conquest and Enslavement in the British Caribbean, 1700–1770.” It has provided an ideal scholarly home — one that supports research on transnational histories of enslavement while remaining grounded in their contemporary implications.

A particular highlight was the October symposium on the Walter Rodney Riots, which reflected the Center’s commitment to justice through both historical and transnational perspectives. Featuring a powerful conversation with Patricia Rodney, public health scholar and CEO of the Walter Rodney Foundation, the event brought together scholars, activists and community leaders to reflect on Rodney’s legacy and broader Caribbean movements for Black liberation. The symposium highlighted firsthand accounts of resistance and solidarity that reflected the Center’s values and that I hope to further in my own research.

My postdoctoral fellowship, jointly sponsored by the John Carter Brown Library, has deepened the Center’s engagement with Atlantic histories. I explored archival materials documenting Rhode Island’s ties to the Caribbean, including the Brown family, uncovering networks of enslavement, maritime trade and resistance. I hope this research will support new scholarly and public-facing initiatives dedicated to historical understanding and reparative justice.

Christopher Baldwin

Simmons Center/JCB Joint Postdoctoral Research Associate in Slavery and Justice, 2024–2025

Much gratitude to the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery & Justice and the Watson Institute for investing in my intellectual and professional growth during my time as a historical injustice postdoctoral research fellow. For the past two years, I wrote and published a couple of articles including, “Re(cover)ing Revelations: Black Ancestral Text Analysis in Education Research” published in the International Journal of Qualitative Methods and “Epistolary Labor: Letter Writing Activism” published with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History in the Black History Bulletin. Additionally, I was awarded the Princeton University Press Supporting Diverse Voices book proposal development fellowship. These accolades were made possible because of the time and investment of the Historical Injustice Fellowship in cultivating a space to build an intellectual community and to articulate a research paradigm that reflects a robust commitment to freedom, literacy and justice for all. The gift of time to critically chart a pathway forward was invaluable. Networking and learning alongside a vigorous Brown community made it all possible.  A special shout out to my campus mentor, Emily Owens, who generously gifted her time in my professional growth forward. I am forever grateful. 

Latoya M. Teague

Historical Injustice and Democracy Research Cluster Fellow, 2023–2025
Simmons Center/Watson Historical Injustice and Democracy Postdoctoral Research Associate, 2023–2025