Research
Charlene’s forthcoming book, Confined Femininity: Race, Gender, and Incarceration in Kentucky, 1865-1920, delves into the experiences of confined African American women in Kentucky from Reconstruction to the Progressive Era. Her work, which sheds light on the lives of confined Black women by exploring places other than carceral locales as arenas of confinement, including mental health institutions and domestic spaces, has been instrumental in bringing Black women's stories to the forefront. This project has been supported by institutions such as the Kentucky Historical Society, the Filson Historical Society, the Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), and the Coordinating Council of Women Historians. Charlene is determined to give voice to those silenced by the historical record, in hopes that sharing these histories will foster healing in the 21st century and beyond.
Charlene’s newest research project is rooted in her grandmother's memories, takes a transnational approach to race and confinement in the American South, and builds on Charlene's interest in Italy. The project, Down in the Delta: Race Relations between African and Italian Americans in Mississippi, 1880-1940, explores Italian migration and experiences in the Mississippi Delta between the late nineteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. It interrogates the Italian padrone system as a form of confinement and examines relationships between Italians and African Americans because of shared proximity and experience in the rural Jim Crow South. This project is supported by the Cesare Barbieri Endowment for Italian Culture and the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute.
Charlene’s newest research project is rooted in her grandmother's memories, takes a transnational approach to race and confinement in the American South, and builds on Charlene's interest in Italy. The project, Down in the Delta: Race Relations between African and Italian Americans in Mississippi, 1880-1940, explores Italian migration and experiences in the Mississippi Delta between the late nineteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. It interrogates the Italian padrone system as a form of confinement and examines relationships between Italians and African Americans because of shared proximity and experience in the rural Jim Crow South. This project is supported by the Cesare Barbieri Endowment for Italian Culture and the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute.
Teaching
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“The learning process is something you can incite, literally incite, like a riot.” – Audre Lorde. Charlene’s teacher training began behind the walls of the Queensboro Correctional Facility within the New York Department of Correctional Services. She facilitated re-entry classes for cohorts of men preparing for release, family reunification, and the transition to society. Although this introduction to the classroom was not the traditional academic space, it allowed her to engage with and learn from one of the most underserved populations in the country. Knowing first-hand the history and experiences of incarcerated students, Charlene transitioned to the formal classroom at LaGuardia Community College to educate students with an interest in criminal justice professions. Feminist poet and scholar Audre Lorde inspires Charlene’s teaching philosophy: she envisions the classroom as a space for fostering community, promoting learning, and inciting change. She wants learners to think critically, challenge their beliefs and politics by engaging comparable and opposing sources of information, confidently defend their positions, and practically apply the knowledge attained in other disciplines or life experiences. Charlene's teaching interests are intertwined with her research. She has taught and created courses that examine the intersections between race and gender such as: "Freedom and Movement in the Transatlantic World," "Say Her Name: Black Women and the Carceral State Since 1865," and "The Oldest Profession: Race, Gender, and the Politics of Sex Work." |