Leigh Soares

As a scholar of African American history, my primary interests are in post-emancipation politics
and Black institution building. My current book project, under contract with Penn Press, is
entitled Cradles of Citizenship: Public Black Colleges and Political Engagement from
Emancipation to Civil Rights. The book tells the story of Black men and women across the U.S.
South who believed the struggle for equality would be incomplete without state-funded public
colleges for Black students. It positions public HBCUs as a crucial but neglected site of Black
political engagement and civic development. 

I am interested in sharing my research in academic
and public spaces. In addition to presenting my work in front of a wide range of audiences, I
have published in the History of Education Quarterly and appeared in the 2022 PBS
documentary Making Black America.

My research on Black politics and education is closely intertwined with my commitment to
making higher education more equitable and navigable for all. Whether I am teaching a class on
the history of African American women, race and education, or the Civil War and
Reconstruction, students in my courses consider diverse perspectives about the meanings of
freedom, equality, and progress in America. I enjoy connecting with undergraduate and graduate
students.

Support for my work has come from the George and Ann Richards Civil War Era Center and the
NAEd/Spencer Foundation. Before joining the history faculty at the University of Maryland in
2024, I taught at Mississippi State University. I earned my Ph.D. in History from Northwestern
University in 2019.