Sierra Phillips
Areas of Expertise
- 20th century African American history
- Modern American history
- U.S. civil rights movement
- Black women's history and activism
Education
- M.A., The Ohio State University (2023)
- B.A., Tougaloo College (2021)
Sierra received her Bachelor of Arts in History with an emphasis in African American studies from the historic Tougaloo College and her Master of Arts in History from The Ohio State University. Sierra’s research interests include the civil rights movement, Black women's care work, Black feminist theories and the Black Midwest. Her dissertation project examines the long civil rights movement in Minnesota which has been generously supported by the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) and the Mellon Foundation.
Sierra is passionate about public history, therefore she is the current Managing Editor for Picturing Black History, a project that publishes public-facing photographic essays about Black life and history.
She serves as the National Publications Director for the Association of Black Women Historians (ABWH), where she also sits on the ABWH Bibliography and ABWH 50th Anniversary Commemoration Planning Committee. The former launched a booklist database on Black women’s history in June 2025.
Dissertation co-chairs: Drs. Tiyi Morris and Hasan Jeffries
Relevant Teaching Experience:
- Teaching Assistant for the Civil Rights and Black Power Movement course & Modern African American History course
- Instructor of record for Intro to Modern U.S. History (SU25 and AU25)
- Currently teaching: Intro to Modern U.S. History
Selected Publications and Book Reviews
- "A Mother's Power: The Bravery of Mamie Till Mobley" in Picturing Black History: Photographs and Stories that Changed the World (2024)
- "Grace Wisher: The Black Girl Who Helped Stitch the Star Spangled Banner"
- The Brave Court Testimony of Mose Wright
Keisha Blain. Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer’s Enduring Message to America. Journal of Mississippi History 85, No. 1-2 (Spring/Summer, 2023): 94-95