Deborah Dauda

Deborah Dauda (she/her) is a mother/dancer/ educator/activist and a Ph.D. student in the School for Global Inclusion and Social Development (SGISD) at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

She holds master’s degrees in Public Health (MPH) and African Studies (MA) from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Her work focuses on Gender and Security matters as it relates to the intersectional experiences and narratives of Black women and girls wherever they are positioned geopolitically.

Her research interests include mapping the aesthetic values and practice of Black female creatives as a process of cultural preservation, the policies of inclusion/exclusion that target Black girls/women and the implications it has on health outcomes and socio-economic security, and the self-care practices of Black women living in violent and post-conflict settings. Deborah is passionate about youth development, storytelling, and co-creating opportunities, spaces, and resources for African and African Diaspora peoples to flourish and thrive.

In her spare time, Deborah enjoys spending time with her family, reading, street-dancing in her living room, cooking, and curating ‘Bridges X Connections’; a podcast that features folks with fascinating projects, ideas, and research that is necessary for the world to know and bear witness.