Bio

 Claire is a native of Lithonia, GA. She is a third-year Ph.D. candidate at the University of Southern California in Political Science and International Relations. She received her BA in International Affairs and Africana Studies from George Washington University and her MA in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University. While in DC, Claire interned with the State Department, in the Office of U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan and the Office of Consular Affairs, and the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. Her broad research interests are social movements, decolonial theory, transitional justice, and political identity formation. Her research is anchored in traditions of critical theory and Black radicalism, with a deep commitment to emancipatory discourse around civic engagement and political participation. Specifically, Claire explores what ideas Black millennials in the United States and South Africa have inherited about freedom and citizenry in post-violence and post-transitional justice settings. She also studies how song and protest can expand the notion of the political, through her study of Black Liberation movements.