I loved visiting my maternal grandparents in Georgia during the summers. The sixteen-hour drive from Brooklyn to Savannah transplanted me into a world full of family elders and ancestral heritage. While my sister and cousins loved playing outside, I sat in my grandmother’s front room close to the air conditioner and ever closer to her lap. I begged her to tell me stories about her childhood and what it was like growing up one generation removed from slavery. I wanted to know everything—no detail was too small or frivolous in my eyes. Mama entertained my questions— but only to a point. When my prying went from curiosity to interrogation, she’d lovingly redirect my attention.

However, my questions about the past only increased as I grew older. While earning my undergraduate degree at Georgetown University, I realized that I wanted to dedicate my life to telling stories about Black life—the pain and struggle, yes- but a stronger emphasis on Black joy as a vehicle for freedom. 

This pursuit led me to earn my doctorate in American History at Rutgers University. Upon graduation, I began my academic career at the University of Texas, where I was named a Regents’ Outstanding Teacher and wasnthe first Black woman to earn tenure in the History Department. After teaching at the University of Delaware, I returned to Rutgers University where I am currently an Associate Professor of History.   

I have published two books, Beauty Shop Politics: African American Women's Activism in the Beauty Industry, which received the 2010 Letitia Woods Brown Memorial Book Prize by the Association of Black Women Historians and To Turn the Whole World Over: Black Women and Internationalism (co-edited with Keisha N. Blain). I am currently working on a book chronicling the promise and peril of African American international leisure travel since World War I entitled, Civil Rights on Vacation.  My research has been supported by various foundations, including the American Association of University Women and the National Endowment of the Humanities. In 2018, I was recognized by Diverse Issues as one of the top 25 women in higher education.

As much as I love working at a university, I seek opportunities to share stories about Black life with audiences outside the academy. As such, I give lectures to dozens of community groups, cultural and educational institutions, churches, corporations, and policy centers each year and was named a Distinguished Lecturer by the Organization of American Historians. A nationally recognized expert in African American Women’s History, fashion and beauty culture, business history, travel and leisure, I provide expert commentary for various news outlets including National Public Radio, C-SPAN, CNBC, Vox, the Washington Post and New York Times. I have also served as a consultant and brand strategist for international beauty retailer Sephora.  

I am also passionate about bringing vibrant stories of the African American past to film and television without compromising historical integrity. I serve as a historical advisor for Higher Ground, the film and television production company founded by President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama and was the Historical Archivist for Becoming, the film based on Mrs. Obama’s best-selling memoir. Currently, I am a Consulting Partner with History Studio a boutique firm providing expert research and storyline development in the film, television, podcasting, gaming, and publishing industries.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, I’m a tea-snob, news junkie, and an amateur fashion stylist and makeup artist. An unapologetic church girl to the core, I now live in Philadelphia where I serve as a Deacon and Women’s Ministry leader. You can find me on social media @SableVictorian.