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.  She advanced to candidacy in December 2024, where she demonstrated expertise in African American, Modern American, and Latin American History. Her research interests include the U.S. civil rights movement, Black women's activism, Black feminist theory, and Black family archival practices. 

Her dissertation project examines Black women's culture of care at a grassroots community center in Minneapolis during the height of the War on Poverty and Black Power eras, which will illuminate the pivotal role they played in community survival amid state neglect. Her research has been generously supported by the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), the Mellon Foundation, and Ohio State's Woman's Place. Sierra is also deeply passionate about ensuring historical narratives are accessible, therefore she aspires to create a digital history exhibit to share the results of her dissertation with the general public.

She serves as the National Publications Director for the Association of Black Women Historians (ABWH), where she also sits on the ABWH Bibliography Committee, which just launched an accessible booklist database on Black women’s history. Sierra is the current Managing Editor for Picturing Black History. 

Advisor: Dr. Hasan Jeffries 

Relevant Teaching Experience: 

• Teaching Assistant for Civil Rights and Black Power Movement & Modern African American History
• Lead Instructor for Intro to Modern U.S. History (SU and AU25)

Selected Publications

• "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"