Ashley Monroe-Edwards
Graduate Student
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Email:
About
Previous Degrees
B.A. in Sociology, University of Illinois at Chicago
Master of Public Administration and Public Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago
About
Ashley is a doctoral student in the Sociology and Black Studies departments at the University of Illinois at Chicago. A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and granddaughter of southern domestic workers, her general research interests are centered around the collective experiences of Black people in the American South and Midwest. Ashley’s work is largely informed by her experience as a bilingual social work professional, educator, and legal assistant. Her background in Sociology and public policy guides aspects of her research that highlight the systemic disenfranchisement of enslaved Black Americans and mixed race children in the colonial and antebellum periods in the U.S.
Areas of Focus
Race, class, power, inequality, family, collective experiences
Research Interests
Ashley’s research centers the mixed methods study of ancestry DNA testing as a radical tool for constructing or reconstructing family narratives. In particular, Ashley focuses on the experiences of Black Americans whose family histories are partly or largely unknown to them on account of the many systemic factors that spurred the fragmentation of the Black family from the onset of chattel slavery in the United States through the end of the Great Migration. Ashley is also interested in exploring how ancestry DNA testing impacts attitudes toward African ancestry in post-colonial Latin America.