Lisa Covington

PhD Granting Institution: University of Iowa

Department: Africana Studies / Center for Digital Humanities

College: College of Humanities

Mentor: Bryan Carter, Ph.D.

Research Proposal: A Digital, Comparative Analysis of Black Girlhood in Hollywood & Independent Films

Lisa Covington completed her Ph.D. at The University of Iowa studying the Sociology of Education with certificates in Digital Humanities and African American Studies. During her time at the University of Iowa, Lisa earned eight prestigious fellowships. In 2020, for her scholarly work and community engagement, Lisa was the recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Achievement Award from the State of Iowa Human Rights Commission.

Lisa’s research explores media representation of Black youth. During her fellowship, Lisa will examine the progression of Black girl characters to better understand the role of film and social institutions. Lisa’s fellowship work will focus on expanding her sociological research on Black girls in film and the development of a digital database to serve as a public facing platform for community members and scholars. Lisa views this work as the first phase of her larger research agenda on the cartography of Black girlhoods, specifically, and Black childhoods at large.

In addition to Lisa’s many scholarly accomplishments, she also has a strong track record of applied scholarship and community engagement. Lisa has dedicated herself to bridging the gap between campus and communities through programs aimed at supporting the socioemotional needs of Black youth. She is able to do this through implementing culturally responsive programming by founding two programs for students: the Ethnic Studies Leadership Academy and the Black Leadership College Program.

In his letter of support, Dr. Bryan Carter, Director, Center for Digital Humanities and Associate Professor, Africana Studies, shared: “Lisa’s work on Black Film and Digital Humanities, more specifically, the analysis of Black Girlhood in Hollywood and Independent Films fits perfectly with the work the Center for Digital Humanities is already doing with The Dunbar Pavilion, the historically segregated school here in Tucson, AZ, which has since become an African American community center. The Africana Studies Program and Center for Digital Humanities are working with Dunbar to establish a community resource center and historic archive, and Lisa’s work with Black youth blends perfectly with this established collaboration.”