The Black Scholar Series: Dr. Seanna Leath

Dr. Mesmin Destin

We welcome our first speaker for the 2026-2026 Academic Year, Dr. Seanna Leath

Professor Seanna (Shawna) Leath studies how cultural and ecological factors inform positive developmental outcomes among Black youth and young adults, with a particular focus on gendered and racialized processes. She directs the Fostering Healthy Identities and Resilience (FHIRe) Collaborative, a diverse and incredible research team of undergraduate and graduate students and community partners who are collectively invested in Black women and girls’ health and wellness. Within the lab, we draw upon quantitative (cross-sectional surveys, daily diary, and longitudinal surveys) and qualitative (individual interviews, focus groups, and case studies) methods to examine Black women and girls’ developmental trajectories related to gendered racial identity, academic performance, social connection, and mental health. Leath’s research has been funded by organizations including the National Science Foundation, the Russell Sage Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, 500 Women Scientists, and the Society for Research on Child Development.

This talk brings together insights from a series of interdisciplinary studies to illustrate how Black feminist praxis operates across history and higher education as a framework for understanding power, resistance, care, and freedom. Grounded in the intellectual lineage of Black women, it positions Black feminist thought as both an analytic lens and a praxis that centers Black women’s lived experiences, knowledge production, and collective survival strategies. Drawing on qualitative and conceptual work with Black college women at predominantly White institutions, the talk highlights the often-invisible emotional, intellectual, and bodily labor tied to achievement — including perfectionism, stereotype management, and gendered racial tokenization — while also examining how Black feminist counter spaces, such as community-based bibliotherapeutic programs, foster belonging, wellness, and identity affirmation. Together, these studies demonstrate how Black feminist praxis bridges scholarship and community, critique and creativity, and history and possibility, offering concrete lessons for conducting research that is interdisciplinary, relational, and accountable to the lives and futures of Black women and girls.

**Zoom Auto Transcription is provided for virtual attendees. If you require a Live Transcriptionist, please email Dr. Jin Goh (jingoh@uic.edu) or Dr. Mayra Guerrero (mguerr@uic.edu)