Written By Lexx Thornton
The Center of Excellence for Social Justice (CESJ) at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will host college professor, award-winning writer, speaker and media host Melissa Harris-Perry, Ph.D., as the 2025-26 Scholar Activist-in-Residence. Her visit will begin Monday, Oct. 27, and last through Friday, Oct. 31.
As part of her residency, Harris-Perry will deliver a public lecture, “Black Girl Patriotism in a Fragile Democracy,” Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 4 p.m. in the General Classroom Building Auditorium, Room A218, 601 N. Benbow Road. The event is free and open to the public, including all students, faculty and staff.
The Scholar Activist-in-Residence program brings leading thinkers, writers and change-makers to North Carolina A&T for extended campus engagements that inspire dialogue and drive social change. Last year’s inaugural resident was internationally recognized scholar, author and speaker Daniel Black, Ph.D.
During her visit, Harris-Perry will engage with students, faculty, and members of the local community through lectures, mentoring sessions and discussions. She will spend time with the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS), particularly the Departments of History and Political Science and Criminal Justice, to exchange ideas about social justice, civic engagement and leadership.
CESJ, housed within CAHSS, will also host a special meeting between Harris-Perry and the Power of Four Research Fellows. In addition, she will tour the campus, including the University Galleries and University Archives in F.D. Bluford Library, to view materials documenting A&T’s deep legacy of student activism and social progress.
“Dr. Harris-Perry’s work and scholarship continue to inspire future leaders in the activism space,” said Paul K. Baker, Ph.D., interim CESJ director. “Hosting her at A&T reaffirms the university’s historic commitment to community change and social justice.”
Harris-Perry serves as professor and Presidential Chair at Wake Forest University in the Department of Politics and International Affairs, the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, the African American Studies Program, and the Program in Environment and Sustainability. She is also the founder and president of the Anna Julia Cooper Center, which advances justice through intersectional scholarship and action. She is the author of the award-winning books “Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought” and “Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America.”
A North Carolina native, Harris-Perry earned her B.A. in English from Wake Forest and her Ph.D. in political science from Duke University. She also studied theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York.
For more information about Harris-Perry’s residency or CESJ programs, email Baker at pkbaker@ncat.edu.
