All posts by: Magazine Editor

Meet a Retriever—Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman ’19, award-winning researcher and writer

Meet Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman ’19, mathematics with a minor in economics. Anna is an award-winning Ghanaian American researcher and writer and a doctoral student studying public policy and economics at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Anna is a Forbes 30 Under 30 Boston honoree and the youngest recipient of a CEDAW Women’s Rights Award by the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women—previously awarded to Vice President Kamala Harris and former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Anna’s newest book, “The Double Tax: How Women of Color are Overcharged and Underpaid,” explores why it’s so expensive to be a woman in America and why it doesn’t have to be this way. Take it away, Anna!

Q: What initially brought you to UMBC?

A: I came to UMBC from the University of Maryland, College Park. On a large campus, I felt too much like a number and not like an actual person. I also felt, in my gut, that College Park wasn’t the right campus for the kind of growth I knew needed to happen to transition into adulthood. UMBC, at first, seemed like the right fit, but I struggled a lot to find my place and to find my voice. I didn’t immediately know what I wanted to do right away. It actually took me until my junior year to figure out the path I am on now, and even then, I wasn’t too sure! That said, the communities on this campus really became the match for the fire I feel today in the work I do. The educators, the students, and the organizations have fueled me throughout, even now as an alum.

Q: Were you involved in any student organizations at UMBC?

A: One of my favorite organizations to lead and be a part of was the UMBC chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). There’s something about being part of a Black-led organization alongside Black students that was so empowering. I was educated at predominantly white schools up until college, so between participating in NSBE, where we started new traditions like the annual NSBE pageant and launched the first U.S. conference for Black women economists, and being part of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, I felt more seen than I had in the years prior.

Q: Who in the UMBC community has inspired you or supported you?

A: There are a couple of people across the UMBC community who have made a big impact on me, but I want to focus on two people specifically: Bonny Tighe and Jacqueline King, Ph.D. ’09, human services psychology. Ms. Tighe taught my Calculus II class, which at the time was one of the most difficult courses offered for STEM majors. She and Dr. Kalman Nanes really believed that I could do hard things, and her class became a turning point for me—math was really something I could pursue in college. She’s also hilarious.

Writer Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman ’19 and Jacqueline King, Ph.D. '09 outside the Meyerhoff Scholars Program office (Marlayna Demond '11/UMBC).
Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman ’19 and Jacqueline King, Ph.D. ’09, in the Meyerhoff Scholars Program office. (Marlayna Demond ’11/UMBC)

Dr. King is my soul sister, truly a kindred spirit. She is part of what I like to call my Mount Rushmore of educators. Dr. King led the MARC/URISE program, which funded my final years of college. She saw me stumble in with no plan, no purpose, and no direction, and coached me into the life I am living and thriving in today. She and I touched base weekly, sometimes just to catch up, and her guidance fundamentally changed my college experience. I owe her so much.

Q: Can you tell us more about your work as an author?

A: The work I do as a writer cuts across race, gender, and the economy, with an eye toward making the workplace a fairer place. In 2022, I published a critically acclaimed collection, The Black Agenda, which was the first trade publication to exclusively feature Black scholars and experts across economics, education, health, climate, criminal justice, and technology. In September 2025, I published The Double Tax, which explores why it’s so expensive to be a woman in America and how the individual costs women of color face become societal costs later on. You’ve probably heard of the pink tax—that additional price women pay to exist in the same world as men. Now meet the double tax, the compounded cost of racism and sexism, or the pink tax and then some. 

I am currently hosting events across the country and hope you’ll join me! If interested, RSVP by visiting my website: annagifty.com!

Q: What’s the one thing you’d want someone who hasn’t joined the UMBC community to know about us?

A: UMBC is a small school, but finding community is still the best way to make your time on campus count. I talk a little bit about my time at UMBC in my new book, The Double Tax, namely, how when I first arrived, I was so lost in the sea of ambition and among the students who seemed to have it all together. I think finding community on campus via clubs, organizations, and academic affiliations made this school feel more like home and ultimately became the driver of the success I am experiencing today.

* * * * *

UMBC’s greatest strength is its people. When people meet Retrievers and hear about the passion they bring, the relationships they create, the ways they support each other, and the commitment they have to inclusive excellence, they truly get a sense of our community. That’s what “Meet a Retriever” is all about.

Learn more about how UMBC can help you achieve your goals.

Meet a Retriever—Tanzila Malik, gender and women’s studies major, and multi-semester on-campus intern

Meet Tanzila Malik, a senior majoring in gender and women’s studies and minoring in political science and anthropology. Tanzila is an intern with UMBC’s University Communications and Marketing team and a former intern of the Women’s, Gender, and Equity Center.

Q: Tell us about someone in the UMBC community who has inspired you or supported you, and how they did it.

A: It’s hard to pick just one. I’ve had the honor of meeting many people in the UMBC community who have made a lifelong impact on my journey here. In particular, Lauren Allen, director, and Zoe Brown, program coordinator, of UMBC’s Women’s, Gender, and Equity Center (WGEC) consistently supported me in my academic and career goals. They challenged me to move out of my comfort zone and gave me the confidence to pursue incredible opportunities that I’d never thought possible.

Women of Color Reception, including Tanzila Malik, panel standing on stage with the director and two interns from the Women's, Gender, & Equity Center
WGEC staff members and panelists of the Women of Color Reception hosted by the WGEC (Lauren Allen/UMBC)

Q: What’s the one thing you’d want someone who hasn’t joined the UMBC community to know about the support you find here?

A: You are never alone at UMBC. There is something/someone for everyone here. From the students to the faculty and staff, UMBC is truly a supportive place to grow and explore new possibilities.

Q: What part of your job do you enjoy the most and why?

A: As an intern at the WGEC, I loved meeting new people and building community. It was fulfilling to be involved in initiatives where I saw firsthand the impact we were making. From hosting panels and discussion circles centered on the experiences of women of color to organizing a campus-wide student activism blog, among many other initiatives, the WGEC takes on. I learned how, even as students, we hold so much power to enact change and make a difference in our communities.

Q: What brought you to UMBC in the first place?

A: After applying to and touring several schools in the DMV area, I ultimately committed to UMBC because it felt like a true “community,” something I hadn’t seen anywhere else. As I spent more time on campus, engaging with my professors, taking part in student organizations, and working on campus, it became clear that UMBC was so much more than “just a school.” I’ve met students and staff with an eagerness to learn and a genuine passion for their work, which goes beyond the classroom.

“
As I spent more time on campus, it became clear that UMBC was so much more than “just a school.”

A headshot photo of Tanzila Malik, standing in front of a brick wall

Tanzila Malik

gender, women's and sexuality studies senior

Q: Since you’ve been a part of the UMBC community, how have you found support of your WHY? Tell us about the people who have helped you at UMBC, and why it has made such a difference to you.

A: As a student, I tend to get trapped in the merry-go-round of school. Not stopping to think about my “why.” As a participant and later a leader for the Alternative Spring Break (ASB) trip through the Center for Democracy and Civic Life, I got to build a deeper connection with Baltimore through learning about various social issues impacting it.

Tanzila Malik and ASB participants posing for a photo in an art museum
ASB participants posing for a photo on a dock in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. They are holding scrub brushes in the air.
(l-r): ASB 2024 Improving Life After Prison cohort, ASB 2025 Environmental Justice and Sustainability cohort, cleaning oyster cages in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. (Farrell Kimble/UMBC, Bianca Canales/UMBC)

I was part of the 2024 ASB cohort focusing on improving life after prison, and later was a co-leader for the environmental justice and sustainability group. Through meeting with city officials, local nonprofits, and community members, ASB gave me a chance to apply what I was learning in the classroom to the “real world.” This was a really impactful experience for me, as it reminded me of why it is I’m doing what I’m doing.

UMBC’s greatest strength is its people. When people meet Retrievers and hear about the passion they bring, the relationships they create, the ways they support each other, and the commitment they have to inclusive excellence, they truly get a sense of our community. That’s what “Meet a Retriever” is all about.

A new world order isn’t coming, it’s already here − and this is what it looks like

Written by John Rennie Short, professor emeritus of public policy, UMBC

On Sept. 3, 2025, China celebrated the 80th anniversary of its victory over Japan by staging a carefully choreographed event in which 26 world leaders were offered a podium view of Beijing’s impressive military might.

The show of strength was deliberate and reignited a debate in Western media over whether we are on the cusp of a China-centric “new world order” to replace the U.S.-dominated international “rules-based order.”

But as someone who writes about geopolitics, I believe we are already there. It might be in flux, and the U.S. still has a big role in it, but a new world order has begun – and as it develops, it will look increasingly different than what it’s replacing.

A brief history of world orders

Global history can be understood as the rise and fall of different orders, defined as a given era’s dominant power relations and attendant institutions and norms.

From 1815 to 1880, the United Kingdom was the undisputed world superpower, with an empire and navy that spanned the globe. The period from 1880 to 1945 was one of imperial rivalries as other countries – largely European and the U.S. – sought to copy Britain’s success and replace its dominance. Supplanting that was the bipolar world of two competing superpowers, the Soviet Union and the U.S., marking the period from 1945 to 1991.

The fall of the Soviet Union was the beginning of a brief period, from 1991 to 2008, of a unipolar world centered on U.S. global dominance, military power and economic might. With the retreat of global communism, the U.S. increased its influence, and that of the international rules-based order it helped establish after 1945, through institutions such as the World Trade Organization, World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Men with pickaxes stand next to a wall covered in graffiti. world order
The tearing down of the Berlin Wall marked the end of the Cold War. Colin Campbell/Getty Images

It did not last long in the face of a long war on terrorism, the fiasco of the invasion of Iraq, the long occupation of Afghanistan and finally the 2008 global financial crisis that undermined U.S. strength and weakened domestic support for Washington’s role as the world’s policeman.

Toward a multipolar world

In recent years, a new multipolar world has emerged with at least four distinct sources of power.

The U.S. remains central to this world order. It is blessed with a huge territory, a dynamic economy and the strategic luxury of large oceans on its east and west and much smaller powers to its north and south. The U.S. had a global military presence in the previous bipolar and unipolar order. But the cost of this imperial overstretch has prompted Washington to shift the cost burden toward its former allies, leading to a new militarization in Europe and East Asia where most countries now aim to increase military spending.

There is also a change in economic arrangements. In the unipolar order, the U.S. promoted a frictionless free trade arrangement and economic globalization. This resulted in the global shift of manufacturing that in turn created a populist backlash in those countries where manufacturing employment was hollowed out.

Now, economic nationalism is becoming a much more common refrain than free trade. Long the promoter of purportedly open markets, the U.S. is now leading the way in resurrecting tariff barriers to levels that haven’t been seen on the global stage in decades.

The military realignments and growing trade barriers will make it increasingly difficult to assemble durable alliances. In the short term the U.S. can leverage its existing power to its advantage, but over the long term other countries will likely pivot away from too much reliance on the U.S. The American Century that publishing magnate Henry Luce famously described in 1941 has to all intents and purposes come to an end.

China is now a peer competitor to the U.S. in both economic and military power. Increasingly, under the powerful leadership of Xi Jinping, China openly seeks a more Sino-centric world order with institutions and a global arrangement to match. To that end, it is assembling an axis of resistance to a U.S.-dominated world order. Russia, suffering from post-imperial syndrome, is an important member but not an equal partner.

Russian power is limited to establishing a Eurasian sphere of influence across its former Soviet republics and disrupting liberal democracies. But in that, Russia is more of a spoiler than an architect of the new order.

And then there is Europe, facing what British Prime Minister Keir Starmer referred to as a “generational challenge” as the U.S. pivots away from Europe toward the Indo-Pacific just as Russia poses a more serious threat to Europe, especially for its easternmost states.

Europe is remilitarizing after decades of demilitarizing. Sweden and Finland joined NATO in 2023 and 2024, respectively. In the coming decades, Europe could emerge as an independent source of both economic and military power with a different agenda from the U.S. – more keen to confront Russia, less willing to support Israel, and perhaps more willing to engage with China.

But all three power centers – the U.S., China and Europe – will struggle with similar and unique internal challenges.

All of them have sluggish economies and aging populations. The U.S. faces growing inequality and political instability as it shifts from a liberal democracy to competitive authoritarianism. China has an untested military, a looming demographic crisis, a faltering economy and a forthcoming succession struggle.

Finally, Europe is beset with a nationalist populism and growing social welfare costs just as military expenditures are set to increase.

The growth of the Global South

This threefold division is strangely reminiscent of the tripartite global division in George Orwell’s “1984,” where Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia fought a permanent war of shifting alliances.

But Orwell was writing at a time when much of what is now called the Global South was either under the informal or formal control of the superpowers. That is no longer the case in the Global South, especially in the case of the larger countries such as Brazil, India and Indonesia.

The Global South is not yet a coherent bloc, more an informal arrangement of independent actors that tend to hedge between the major powers.

A world in flux

Yet none of this new global reality means that things are now fixed. Indeed, the new world order is in a state of disruptive flux that promises years of growing pains. Both the U.S. and China need allies, and countries in the Global South will continue to hedge between the competing powers.

A wall has graffiti on it including a stencil of three men under the words 'World War Three.'
It doesn’t have to end this way. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

As such, the world is in for a process of constant jostling as the major powers seek alliances while dealing with domestic pressures. In that messy status quo, many questions remain: Who will be most effective in building durable alliances? Will China manage its internal challenges? Will Europe get its act together? Will Russia continue its disruptive ways? Could a post-Trump U.S., post-Putin Russia and post-Xi China move the world in yet a different direction altogether?

And there is one large question above all others: Can the major powers manage their competition through shared global interests, such as combating climate change, environmental pollution and pandemic threats? Or will mounting conflict in the newly contested areas of the Arctic, cyberspace, outer space and the oceanic realm, and in ongoing geopolitical hot spots provide the trigger for outright conflict?

All world orders come to an end. The hope is the old one is doing so with a whimper rather than a bang.

John Rennie Short, Professor Emeritus of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article and see more than 300 UMBC articles available in The Conversation.

Picturing Mobility: Black Tourism and Leisure During the Jim Crow Era

The Jim Crow era was marked by strict racial segregation, severely limiting Black individuals’ mobility and dignity. Public leisure spaces were often segregated, making travel dangerous and humiliating for Black people, which affected their leisure habits and options. Picturing Mobility: Black Tourism and Leisure During the Jim Crow Era, an exhibition curated by Elizabeth Patton, chair and associate professor of media and communication studies, is on view through December 19 at UMBC’s Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery.

A group of children in summer attire posing with a man around a vintage car. During the Jim Crow Era
Two people smiling and embracing beside a vintage car on a dirt road.
4 women dressed in summer attire, smiling while standing in front of a vintage car in the foreground with an amusement park in the background.
Left to right: Picnic in Highland Beach, Maryland; couple hugging; four women standing in front of a car parked at Carr’s Beach (Courtesy of Addison Scurlock, Stanley B. Burns Archive, Maryland State Archives).

The new exhibit, curated with organizational support from Beth Saunders and Emily Cullen ’06, with exhibition design by Tony Venne and Cullen, highlights how ordinary people captured moments from their personal lives.

These images depict mobility through scenes of relaxation, happiness, amusement, and community, challenging the dominant narrative of Black life during Jim Crow as primarily defined by restrictions and struggle. This exhibition emphasizes the power of these images to affirm Black humanity and provide meaningful insights into life fully lived despite the oppressive system of segregation.

Two young girls play in the water, one sitting in an inflatable ring, both smiling.
A young child smiling in a small toy convertible car on a sidewalk, with parked cars and houses in the background.
Left to right: Gloria Lewis, 14, and Marilyn Lewis, 10, sisters from Marrifield, Maryland, enjoying themselves at Carr’s Beach; Boy in Toy Car (Courtesy of the Stanley B. Burns Archive, AFRO Charities).

Picturing Mobility invites viewers to explore what it meant for Black Americans to seek joy, rest, and travel amid a world shaped by exclusion and segregation. It draws on photographs, oral histories, audio, video, and travel ephemera related to Black tourism and leisure activities, mainly from the mid-Atlantic region, from the 1920s to the 1960s. The artifacts show how documenting and taking part in leisure and mobility were powerful forms of resistance.

Patton’s current book project, Documenting Black Leisure as a Form of Resistance, examines the history of Black leisure and tourism in the U.S. through Jim Crow-era media. The AOK Library Gallery will host an opening reception and curatorial talk with Patton on September 19 from 5 to 7 p.m.

The presentation of this exhibition and its public programs is supported by the Arts+ Initiative; the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; and an arts program grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of Maryland and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support comes from the Libby Kuhn Endowment Fund, as well as individual contributors.

Meet a Retriever—Anita Das ’83, M.S. ’87, mostly-retired medical researcher and planned giving donor

Meet Anita Das ’83, M.S. ’87. Anita is a mostly-retired medical researcher specializing in infectious diseases and a UMBC planned giving donor. She still consults with biotech companies as a statistician to stay current with industry trends, and, in her spare time, Anita volunteers for environmental and educational causes, practices (and learns more about) permaculture, and goes on hiking adventures. In 2024, Anita established the Das Endowed Scholarship, and included UMBC in her estate plan to make sure she could help even more students in the future. Take it away, Anita!

Q: What is your WHY? What brought you to UMBC?

A: I went to UMBC because I wanted to study biology. At the time, I thought I wanted to go to medical school, and UMBC was known for having a strong pre-med program. I also received a small scholarship and played on the tennis team. I graduated with my B.S. in biological sciences in 1983, but decided that medical school was not for me. Since I had taken a lot of math classes (and done well), I got a job doing clinical research.

My boss told me I should pursue a master’s degree in statistics. So, I went back to UMBC. At the time, the statistics program was new, and I liked that it had a small number of students and that all of the professors were very interactive with the students. I earned my M.S. in statistics in 1987.

Q: What’s a memory of the UMBC community you have that helped shape your path?

A: I worked (or volunteered—I can’t remember which) at the math lab, which was a place that students came for tutoring. We provided support to students who needed extra help on their math assignments, but were more comfortable working with a peer than going to their professor. I remember this as a wonderful, supportive place that assisted many students and helped me gain and practice my teaching skills.

Alumni gathered at the 2025 UMBC Bay Area Alumni Reception 2025. From left to right: Tim M., Yinka Bode-George '16, Caitlyn Reavey '06, and planned giving donor, Anita Das
Alumni gathered at the 2025 UMBC Bay Area Alumni Reception 2025. From left to right: Tim M., Yinka Bode-George ’16, Caitlyn Reavey ’06, and Das. (Photo by Barak Shrama)

Q: Who in the UMBC community has inspired you or supported you?

A: While I was working on my master’s in statistics, Dr. Bimal Sinha was so supportive. On some of my homework assignments, instead of a grade, he would write “Please see me.” At first, I thought, “Oh no!” But in his office, he would help me through the work and encourage me. Dr. Sinha’s primary interest was to build my confidence and ensure I was learning. Really, all of the professors in my master’s program were student-oriented. They provided encouragement and instilled confidence, which enabled me to continue my education and get my Ph.D. in Epidemiology at George Washington University.

Q: Can you tell us more about your career?

A: My career has been in medical research, working on clinical trials in both the public and private sectors. I spent the first part of my career working in maternal/fetal medicine on National Institutes of Health grants and then moved to the pharmaceutical industry, specializing in the development of anti-infectives. Today, I am mostly retired and do some consulting with biotech companies as a statistician.

This allows me to stay current on new developments in infectious disease (my area of expertise) and work with experts in this field. I spend my non-work time volunteering for environmental and educational causes, learning and practicing permaculture, and going on hiking adventures.

Q: Can you elaborate on your volunteer work and what inspired you to establish a scholarship and become a planned giving donor?

A: I am on the Board of Directors of Sonoma Land Trust (SLT). We work to protect nature in my home county of Sonoma, California, helping to reduce climate impact, restoring habitats, and engaging young people in conservation. Our science-based approach allows me to use my education and experience for a good cause. SLT also mentors the next generation of scientists, and it was this program that inspired me to donate to UMBC to help educate those who will steward the future of our planet.

“
I recently reconnected with UMBC. Everyone I’ve met, including other graduates in the California Bay Area and the development team, has been so welcoming and enthusiastic about UMBC. I also had a chance to meet President Valerie Sheares Ashby and was wowed by her dedication to the students and learning.

Anita Das ’83, M.S. ’87

As part of my involvement with SLT, I had a chance to listen to high school students present conservation research they conducted on one of our land preserves. These kids were so excited about science and their joy was infectious. They inspired me to start a scholarship fund at UMBC so that anyone who wants to study science would not be limited by a lack of resources.

In 2024, I established the Das Endowed Scholarship to support students in the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences. Around the same time, I also established a planned gift, naming UMBC in my estate plan to ensure my scholarship can support even more students in the future.

* * * * *

UMBC’s greatest strength is its people. When people meet Retrievers and hear about the passion they bring, the relationships they create, the ways they support each other, and the commitment they have to inclusive excellence, they truly get a sense of our community. That’s what “Meet a Retriever” is all about.

Learn more about how UMBC can help you achieve your goals.

How China uses second world war history in its bid to reshape the global order – podcast

The Conversation Weekly Podcast Interview with Meredith Oyen, Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies, UMBC.

With Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un among 26 world leaders watching, China’s president Xi Jinping made a muscular address to 50,000 people in Tiananmen Square marking 80 years since the end of the second world war. China is “never intimidated by bullies” and would “stand by the right side of history”, Xi said, adding that “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation was unstoppable”.

Absent from the ceremony was Taiwan’s leader, Lai Ching-te, who instead took to Facebook, writing that Taiwan does not “commemorate peace with the barrel of a gun”. Taiwan had barred public officials from attending the event.

 China and Taiwan both claim their forces bore the true burden of Chinese resistance against Japan during the second world war, and use this contested history to lay claim to power and territory. Now China is weaponising this history, pushing for a “correct” perspective of the war as it seeks to reshape the world order and assert its ambitions over Taiwan.

In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, Meredith Oyen, a historian and expert in China-Taiwan relations, explains how disagreements between China and Taiwan over who fought the Japanese more than 80 years ago are still raging and why China’s military parade raised tensions with Taiwan up another notch.

“The second world war has this very long shadow in all of east Asia because there’s a lot of unfinished business,” says Oyen, an associate professor of history and Asian studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

When Japan officially surrendered on September 9 at a ceremony in Nanjing, it was to the Republic of China, then ruled by Chiang Kai-shek. With the war against Japan over, Chiang’s nationalist Kuomintang resumed their civil war against the Chinese Communist Party. In 1949, Chiang and the Kuomintang were pushed to Taiwan as Mao Zedong declared the People’s Republic of China.

As a result, persistent questions about whether China and Taiwan are two separate entities or a divided nation with Taiwan a part of China are a “really significant geopolitical flashpoint” says Oyen, “something that stems directly out of the second world war”.

Listen to the conversation with Meredith Oyen about how disagreements between China and Taiwan over the second world war on The Conversation Weekly podcast. You can also read an text version of this interview.

This episode of The Conversation Weekly was written and produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware with assistance from Katie Flood. Mixing and sound design by Eloise Stevens and theme music by Neeta Sarl.

Newclips in this episode from Straits Times , BBC News and NBC News and KinoLibrary .

Listen to The Conversation Weekly via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via our RSS feed or find out how else to listen here. A transcript of this episode is available on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Gemma Ware, Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article and see more than 300 UMBC articles available in The Conversation.

Reverse discrimination? In spite of the MAGA bluster over DEI, data shows white Americans are still advantaged

Written by Fred L. Pincus, emeritus professor of Sociology, UMBC.

Two big assumptions underlie President Donald Trump’s attack on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies. The first is that discrimination against people of color is a thing of the past. The second is that DEI policies and practices discriminate against white people – especially white men – in what’s sometimes called “reverse discrimination.”

I’m a sociologist who’s spent decades studying race and inequality, and when I read the documents and statements coming out of the Trump White House, these assumptions jump out at me again and again – usually implicitly, but always there.

The problem is that the evidence doesn’t back these assumptions up.

For one thing, if discrimination against white Americans were widespread, you might expect large numbers to report being treated unfairly. But polling data shows otherwise. A 2025 Pew survey found that 70% of white Americans think Black people face “some” or “a lot” of discrimination in general, and roughly two-thirds say the same of Asian and Hispanic people. Meanwhile, only 45% of white Americans believe that white people in general experience that degree of discrimination.

In other words, white Americans believe that people of color, as a group, face more discrimination than white people do. People of color agree – and so do Americans overall.

In a second national study, using data collected in 2023, Americans were asked if they had personally experienced discrimination within the past year. Thirty-eight percent of white people said they had, compared to 54% of Black Americans, 50% of Latinos and 42% of Asian Americans. In other words, white Americans are much less likely to say that they’ve been discriminated against than people of color.

The ‘hard’ numbers show persistent privilege

These statistics are sometimes called “soft” data because they reflect people’s perceptions rather than verified incidents. To broaden the picture, it’s worth looking at “hard” data on measures like income, education and employment outcomes. These indicators also suggest that white Americans as a group are advantaged relative to people of color.

For example, federal agencies have documented racial disparities in income for decades, with white Americans, as a group, generally outearning Black and Latino Americans. This is true even when you control for education. When the Census Bureau looked at median annual earnings for Americans between 25 and 64 with at least a bachelor’s degree, it found that Black Americans received only 81% of what comparably educated white Americans earned, while Latinos earned only 80%. Asian Americans, on the other hand, earned 119% of what white people earned.

These gaps persist even when you hold college major constant. In the highest-paying major, electrical engineering, Black Americans earned only 71% of what white people did, while Latinos earned just 73%. Asian Americans, in contrast, earned 104% of what white people earned. In the lowest-paid major, family and consumer sciences, African Americans earned 97% of what white people did, and Latinos earned 94%. Asian Americans earned 117% of what white people earned. The same general pattern of white income advantage existed in all majors with two exceptions: Black people earned more in elementary education and nursing.

Remember, this is comparing individuals with a bachelor’s degree or higher to people with the same college major. Again, white Americans are still advantaged in most career paths over Black Americans and Latinos.

Disparities persist in the job market

Unemployment data show similar patterns. The July 2025 figures for workers at all education levels show that Black people were 1.9 times more likely to be unemployed than white Americans. Latinos were 1.4 times more likely to be unemployed, and Asian Americans, 1.1 times.

This same white advantage still occurs when looking only at workers who have earned a bachelor’s degree or more. Black Americans who have earned bachelor’s degrees or higher were 1.3 times more likely to be unemployed than similarly educated white Americans as of 2021, the last year for which data is available. Latinos with college degrees were 1.4 times more likely to be unemployed than similar white Americans. The white advantage was even higher for those with only a high school degree or less. Unfortunately, data for Asian Americans weren’t available.

In another study, researchers sent 80,000 fake resumes in response to 10,000 job listings posted by 97 of the largest employers in the country. The credentials on the resumes were essentially the same, but the names signaled race: Some had Black-sounding names, like Lakisha or Leroy, while others had more “white-sounding” names like Todd or Allison. This method is known as an “audit study.”

This research, which was conducted between 2019 and 2021, found that employers were 9.5% more likely to contact the Todds and Allisons than the Lakishas and Leroys within 30 days of receiving a resume. Of the 28 audit studies that have been conducted since 1989, each one showed that applicants with Black- or Latino-sounding names were less likely to be contacted that those with white-sounding or racially neutral names.

Finally, a 2025 study analyzed 600,000 letters of recommendation for college-bound students who used the Common App form during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 academic years. Only students who applied to at least one selective college were included. The study found that letters for Black and Latino students were shorter and said less about their intellectual promise.

Similarly, letters in support of first-generation students – that is, whose parents hadn’t graduated from a four-year college, and who are disproportionately likely to be Black and Latino – had fewer sentences dedicated to their scientific, athletic and artistic abilities, or their overall academic potential.

These and other studies don’t provide evidence of massive anti-white discrimination. Although scattered cases of white people being discriminated against undoubtedly exist, the data suggest that white people are still advantaged relative to non-Asian people of color. White Americans may be less advantaged than they were, but they’re still advantaged.

While it’s true that many working-class white Americans are having a tough time in the current economy, it’s not because of their race. It’s because of their class. It’s because of automation and overseas outsourcing taking away good jobs. It’s because of high health care costs and cuts in the safety nets.

In other words, while many working-class white people are struggling now, there’s little evidence race is the problem.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article and see more than 300 UMBC articles available in The Conversation.

Meet a Retriever—Dann Malihom ’10, M.A. ’16, UMBC staff member, sociology faculty, and Alumni Association board member

Meet Dann Malihom ’10, M.A. ’16. Dann has spent most of his adult life at UMBC. He is a double alum (with plans to be a triple alum one day), earning both his degrees in sociology. He is a UMBC staff member, serving as the event specialist in the Office of Institutional Advancement. He is an adjunct faculty member in the sociology, anthropology, and public health department. And Dann also serves as the vice president of engagement on the UMBC Alumni Association Board of Directors. Talk about a lifelong Retriever! Take it away, Dann!

Q: What is your WHY? What brought you to UMBC?

A: UMBC was appealing to me because of its authenticity. It felt different from “traditional” colleges, not because it was trying and failing or trying to be intentionally counter-culture. It just was. I immediately felt welcomed and embraced for who I was, academically and personally. In an age when everything feels marketed or insincere, UMBC tells you up front that we are not just aiming for excellence, but inclusive excellence.

“
UMBC has always been an institution that embraces inclusive excellence. It wants you to be unapologetically yourself and will ensure you have the support to do so. It is definitely a place that doesn’t just talk the talk, but walks the walk.

Dann Malihom ’10, M.A. ’16

Q: Who is someone in the UMBC community who has inspired you or supported you?

A: Christine Mair of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Public Health. She was my mentor during my thesis for my master’s in applied sociology. She was the reason I was able to get a position as an adjunct with UMBC in 2017, and was a fantastic support as I learned the ropes of being a professor. She showed immediate faith in me and has always been a valuable resource for me to turn to whenever I need a suggestion, direction, or even just confirmation that I was making the right choices with my teaching pedagogy.

Q: What do you love about sociology?

A: I love teaching in the sociology, anthropology, and public health department. By definition, all of us are connected to sociology due to the fact that we live, learn, and interact with society. The little “ah ha!” moments when students begin to make connections to things that have influenced them never get old. While the course material can sometimes get heavy as we talk about topics like racism, gender inequality, and social stratification, the students always show deep reflection and recognition of these social issues. Even more promising, they take these recognitions of the problems as their first steps toward correcting them.

After participating in the Family Fun Run at Homecoming 2024 with his kids, Malihom took a photo with a former colleague, Robert Bernhard of SABSC, and two former student employees.
After participating in the Family Fun Run at Homecoming 2024 with his kids, Malihom took a photo with a former colleague, Robert Bernhard, and two former student employees.

Q: Tell us about your current job. What do you like most about it?

A: I have worked at UMBC full-time since 2012. I started out as a facilities coordinator in Campus Life Operations before transitioning into my current role as the event specialist in the Office of Institutional Advancement in 2024. I enjoy getting to support milestone events that bring the students, faculty, staff, and UMBC community together in a shared place of belonging. Commencement is a whirlwind of an event that means so much to so many people, such as first-generation students, international students, and non-traditional students. Being able to be a part of that as these individuals walk across stage is so rewarding.

Q: What would you tell someone who is considering a career at UMBC? 

A: UMBC is a special place. This is reflected in the number of alumni who are now staff members. It may not be for everyone, but for many, it is truly a place they love and are welcomed fully.

Q: Where have you found support in the UMBC community?

A: The shared governance aspect of UMBC is a wonderful thing. UMBC truly strives to include all voices and perspectives in decisions, and it shows. Whether it’s through groups like the Exempt Staff Senate or just the accessibility of administration, it is easy to share your opinion and, perhaps more importantly, feel like you’ve actually been heard.

Q: How have you stayed connected with the UMBC alumni community?

A: I have been a member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2019. I initially joined at the recommendation of the current president, Nate Dissmeyer ’07, and became a part of the Strategic Initiatives committee. Last year, I was able to become the chair of that committee, and starting this year, I am the vice president of engagement for the board. My positions have afforded me the opportunity to meet and connect with alumni not just from my cohort, but as far back as the Founding Four (alumni from UMBC’s first four graduating classes). 

Q: What drives you to support UMBC?

A: My teaching philosophy that I inherited from my high school philosophy teacher is “You can count the number of seeds in an apple, but you can’t count the number of apples in a seed.” Every year, I give to the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Public Health, the Women’s, Gender, & Equity Center, and the Alumni Endowment Scholarship Fund. Some of the recipients have been students I’ve taught directly. Regardless of whether I know them or not, I know UMBC is developing engaged, empathetic, global citizens, and many of them will go on to change the world. 

Pictured right: Malihom and his son Miles, who are both obsessed with space, got to check out the telescope at the UMBC Observatory as part of the Homecoming celebration.

Malihom and his son Miles, who are both obsessed with space, got to check out the telescope at the UMBC Observatory as part of the Homecoming celebration.

* * * * *

UMBC’s greatest strength is its people. When people meet Retrievers and hear about the passion they bring, the relationships they create, the ways they support each other, and the commitment they have to inclusive excellence, they truly get a sense of our community. That’s what “Meet a Retriever” is all about.

Learn more about how UMBC can help you achieve your goals.

Meet a Retriever—Debora Fajer-Smith ’81, lawyer, author, and UMBC donor

Meet Debora Fajer-Smith ’81, political science. Debora is a lawyer with over 40 years of experience, who has received numerous honors for her community involvement, mentoring, and leadership. She was twice named one of the Top 100 Women in Maryland by The Daily Record, honored with the Leader in Law award, and has consistently been voted as a Best Lawyer in the personal injury category by her peers. In summer 2025, she started a new position as Partner at the law firm of Price Benowitz LLP. Earlier in the year, Debora also published her first novel, “Pieces of Gold,” under the pen name Leah Kelly, which was named a “must read” by Naptown Scoop. Debora is also an avid Retriever supporter, establishing the Fajer-Smith Some One Cares (SOCS) Scholarship in 1998. Take it away, Debora! 

Q: What initially brought you to UMBC?

A: I chose UMBC because I wanted to go to a small honors college in the Maryland system. I am a graduate of the class of 1981 and lived on campus in what was then Dorm 2. In my first semester, I ran for student body senate and never looked back. Since that moment, with everything I have done, I have tried to give back to UMBC.

I was a pre-law, political science major, and was nominated from UMBC for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship. I eventually went on to the University of Maryland School of Law, and I have practiced law for over 40 years. I have loved helping injury victims who were hurt and needed help to prosper on their own again. I served on the Maryland Senate House Oversight Committee as an appointed member, as well as the Maryland State Bar Association Judicial Nominating Committee. 

Fajer-Smith with Amron Health and Home, LLC co-founders Scotty Collinson '24, political science, and Nikos Bourazanis' 24, financial economics.

Q: How have you given back to UMBC?

A: It is a gift when you look back at your life and realize how much your university helped shape your goals and prepare you for a wonderful future. UMBC did that for me. Looking back, everything I did in my career, I tried to give back to UMBC or partner with UMBC students. First, I endowed the Fajer-Smith Some One Cares (SOCS) Scholarship in 1998—which supports high school graduates from my hometown community who wish to attend UMBC—because I want my contribution to be a permanent support to the university long after I’m gone. Next, I started the UMBC Law Society, which brings together graduates who became lawyers. Most recently, I worked with the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation to grant students an opportunity to gain equity in a new venture called Amron Home and Health, LLC, a brand to help support CPAP users when traveling.

Partnering with UMBC on Amron Home and Health has truly been an honor and a privilege. How special to take students interested in launching a company, winning pitch competitions, and working together for several years to build a company that would not only be profitable but bring about change in people’s lives who suffer from sleep apnea. 

“
I always say you can do good while doing good.

Debora Fajer-Smith ’81

political science

Q: What is your favorite part of Retriever Nation?

A: Retriever Fever never goes away! I stay close with many of my friends and classmates.

Q: Can you tell us about your book?

A: I was always a writer, but I recently had the opportunity to write a children’s book series under the pen name Leah Kelly. In 2025, I published my first adult novel, Pieces of Gold, set in my hometown of Annapolis, Maryland. The book, which has been named a “must read” by Naptown Scoop, centers around four female friends who attended UMBC together. Each woman is distinct from the other, but nothing can break their bond. Melody holds the group together. Kate is the adventurous attorney who explores life after divorce. Dahlia is the proud Latina professional juggernaut. And you’ll root for Winifred, who struggles with her African American family expectations and her deep desire to conceive a baby. 

Pieces of Gold is a delicious romp and a fast, exciting read that sees these women traveling to different parts of the world. It tugs on your heart strings, then brings you into dangerous and very intimate moments. Hold on, especially when Kate learns to fly a small plane with a handsome instructor!

You can learn more at LeahKellyBooks.com.

Photo right: Leah Kelly book signing event at Parole Town Center.

Leah Kelly book signing event at Parole Town Center.

* * * * *

UMBC’s greatest strength is its people. When people meet Retrievers and hear about the passion they bring, the relationships they create, the ways they support each other, and the commitment they have to inclusive excellence, they truly get a sense of our community. That’s what “Meet a Retriever” is all about.

Learn more about how UMBC can help you achieve your goals.

Meet a Retriever—Mary Jumbelic ’79, author and former chief medical examiner

Meet Mary Jumbelic ’79, biological sciences. Mary is an author and former chief medical examiner of Onondaga County, New York. In her 25-year career, she has performed thousands of autopsies and helped pass national safety policies for consumer products, preventing untimely deaths. She’s been an expert witness on Dateline, 48 Hours, the Discovery Channel, and the Law & Crime Network. While retired from government work, Mary continues to consult on cases while pursuing her passion for writing. In 2023, she published her first book, Here, Where Death Delights: A Literary Memoir, and just recently released her second this summer, Speak Her Name: Stories from a Life in True Crime. Take it away, Mary! 

Q: What initially brought you to UMBC?

A: When considering colleges, I was looking for lower-cost schooling to which I could commute. I couldn’t afford to move away from home or live on campus. UMBC had an excellent reputation in the sciences, and I planned to go on to medical school. The chance to attend a four-year college, live at home, and receive scholarships was extraordinary to me. Plus, the connection with the University of Maryland system paved the way for medical school.

Jumbelic at her gamelan angklung concert with her friend, Steven Zachs.
Jumbelic at her gamelan angklung concert with her friend, Steven Zachs.

Q: What did you love about your academic programs at UMBC?

A: As a first-generation student, I felt a bit at sea my first semester. UMBC allowed me to repeat a course I failed and receive a new grade. Both were present on my transcript, but the higher grade counted in my GPA. This grace provided me with more confidence. I also struggled as a pre-med student and drifted into accounting, education, and creative writing. UMBC made it easy to sample classes from many different disciplines. I studied under Pulitzer Prize-winning poets, heard preeminent lecturers in chemistry, and settled into a rigorous academic life in biological sciences. Taking the Myers-Briggs personality test, I matched with a career in medicine. Biology turned out to be the perfect fit.

Jumbelic at the microscope. She worked in forensic pathology for 25 years, including her time as Chief Medical Examiner of Onondaga County, New York.
Jumbelic working the microscope. She worked in forensic pathology for more than 25 years.

Badminton at the gym, gamelan angklung music classes, and foreign language studies rounded out my education. I graduated cum laude in 1979, the first of my family to ever go to college.

Q: Who in the UMBC community has inspired you or supported you?

A: A posting on the biology bulletin board led to the best job I ever had in college, opening the door to four years with the Martin Marietta Environmental Technology Center’s research and development program. Dr. K. Zankel, a brilliant physicist at Martin Marietta, taught me to be a research assistant in the field and in the lab, leading by example and serving as my first, and one of my most cherished, mentors. I worked counting fish populations in the effluent from the nuclear plant (both on sonar tracking and in vivo) as well as in their sulphur dioxide monitoring program with site visits to their plant in St. Croix. UMBC accepted my affiliation and research paper for credit, which helped me graduate.

“
UMBC made it easy to sample classes from many different disciplines. I studied under Pulitzer Prize-winning poets, heard preeminent lecturers in chemistry, and settled into a rigorous academic life in biological sciences.

Mary Jumbelic ’79

biological sciences

Q: Can you tell us about your career and any upcoming projects?

A: I am a board-certified forensic pathologist and former chief medical examiner of Onondaga County, the first female to hold the role in all of Central New York. In my 25-year career, I’ve performed thousands of autopsies across the United States and abroad as part of special assignments to aid in world disaster sites. I’ve even used forensic evidence to help pass national safety policies for consumer products, preventing untimely deaths. Over time, I’ve received awards for my work from the National Transportation Safety Board and the New York State Senate, among others. I am honored to have been recognized as a trailblazer by the National Organization of Women. While retired from government work, I continue to lend my expertise and consult on cases, as well as speak on forensic pathology topics on national podcasts and for educational speaking engagements. I’ve also had more time to devote to my passion—writing.

Jumbelic at a book signing at a Rochester Barnes & Noble.
Jumbelic at a book signing at a Rochester Barnes & Noble.

In the last decade, I’ve published numerous short stories across more than 30 publications. I’ve been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and was a top-10 finalist in the Tucson Literary Festival. In 2023, I launched my company, Final Words Publishing, and released my first book Here, Where Death Delights: A Literary Memoir. The book quickly gained international readership, receiving First Prize from The BookFest, Silver Awards from the Nonfiction Authors Association and Reader’s Favorite, as well as Gold from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. In July 2025, I published my second book, Speak Her Name: Stories from a Life in True Crime. With this work, I give a voice to the many women I found on my autopsy table as I had learned to find my own voice, which I use to educate and empower those still with us today.

My books are true stories of my life in and out of the morgue, where I spent more than 25 years with the dead. I speak for them and demystify death for the living.

* * * * *

UMBC’s greatest strength is its people. When people meet Retrievers and hear about the passion they bring, the relationships they create, the ways they support each other, and the commitment they have to inclusive excellence, they truly get a sense of our community. That’s what “Meet a Retriever” is all about.

Learn more about how UMBC can help you achieve your goals.

How can the James Webb Space Telescope see so far?

Written by Adi Foord, assistant professor of physics, UMBC
This article is part of The Conversation‘s “Curious Kids” series.

How does the camera on the James Webb Space Telescope work and see so far out?
– Kieran G., age 12, Minnesota

Imagine a camera so powerful it can see light from galaxies that formed more than 13 billion years ago. That’s exactly what NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is built to do.

Since it launched in December 2021, Webb has been orbiting more than a million miles from Earth, capturing breathtaking images of deep space. But how does it actually work? And how can it see so far? The secret lies in its powerful cameras – especially ones that don’t see light the way our eyes do.

I’m an astrophysicist who studies galaxies and supermassive black holes, and the Webb telescope is an incredible tool for observing some of the earliest galaxies and black holes in the universe.

When Webb takes a picture of a distant galaxy, astronomers like me are actually seeing what that galaxy looked like billions of years ago. The light from that galaxy has been traveling across space for the billions of years it takes to reach the telescope’s mirror. It’s like having a time machine that takes snapshots of the early universe.

By using a giant mirror to collect ancient light, Webb has been discovering new secrets about the universe.

A telescope that sees heat

Unlike regular cameras or even the Hubble Space Telescope, which take images of visible light, Webb is designed to see a kind of light that’s invisible to your eyes: infrared light. Infrared light has longer wavelengths than visible light, which is why our eyes can’t detect it. But with the right instruments, Webb can capture infrared light to study some of the earliest and most distant objects in the universe.

A dog, shown normally, then through thermal imaging, with the eyes, mouth and ears brighter than the rest of the dog.
Infrared cameras, like night-vision goggles, allow you to ‘see’ the infrared waves emitting from warm objects such as humans and animals. The temperatures for the images are in degrees Fahrenheit. NASA/JPL-Caltech

Although the human eye cannot see it, people can detect infrared light as a form of heat using specialized technology, such as infrared cameras or thermal sensors. For example, night-vision goggles use infrared light to detect warm objects in the dark. Webb uses the same idea to study stars, galaxies and planets.

Why infrared? When visible light from faraway galaxies travels across the universe, it stretches out. This is because the universe is expanding. That stretching turns visible light into infrared light. So, the most distant galaxies in space don’t shine in visible light anymore – they glow in faint infrared. That’s the light Webb is built to detect.

A diagram of the electromagnetic spectrum, with radio, micro and infrared waves having a longer wavelength than visible light, while UV, X-ray and gamma rays have shorter wavelengths than visible light.
The rainbow of visible light that you can see is only a small slice of all the kinds of light. Some telescopes can detect light with a longer wavelength, such as infrared light, or light with a shorter wavelength, such as ultraviolet light. Others can detect X-rays or radio waves. Inductiveload, NASA/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

A golden mirror to gather the faintest glow

Before the light reaches the cameras, it first has to be collected by the Webb telescope’s enormous golden mirror. This mirror is over 21 feet (6.5 meters) wide and made of 18 smaller mirror pieces that fit together like a honeycomb. It’s coated in a thin layer of real gold – not just to look fancy, but because gold reflects infrared light extremely well.

The mirror gathers light from deep space and reflects it into the telescope’s instruments. The bigger the mirror, the more light it can collect – and the farther it can see. Webb’s mirror is the largest ever launched into space.

The JWST's mirror, which looks like a large, roughly hexagonal shiny surface made up of 18 smaller hexagons put together, sitting in a facility. The mirror is reflecting the NASA meatball logo.
Webb’s 21-foot primary mirror, made of 18 hexagonal mirrors, is coated with a plating of gold. NASA

Inside the cameras: NIRCam and MIRI

The most important “eyes” of the telescope are two science instruments that act like cameras: NIRCam and MIRI.

NIRCam stands for near-infrared camera. It’s the primary camera on Webb and takes stunning images of galaxies and stars. It also has a coronagraph – a device that blocks out starlight so it can photograph very faint objects near bright sources, such as planets orbiting bright stars.

NIRCam works by imaging near-infrared light, the type closest to what human eyes can almost see, and splitting it into different wavelengths. This helps scientists learn not just what something looks like but what it’s made of. Different materials in space absorb and emit infrared light at specific wavelengths, creating a kind of unique chemical fingerprint. By studying these fingerprints, scientists can uncover the properties of distant stars and galaxies.

MIRI, or the mid-infrared instrument, detects longer infrared wavelengths, which are especially useful for spotting cooler and dustier objects, such as stars that are still forming inside clouds of gas. MIRI can even help find clues about the types of molecules in the atmospheres of planets that might support life.

Both cameras are far more sensitive than the standard cameras used on Earth. NIRCam and MIRI can detect the tiniest amounts of heat from billions of light-years away. If you had Webb’s NIRCam as your eyes, you could see the heat from a bumblebee on the Moon. That’s how sensitive it is.

Two photos of space, with lots of stars and galaxies shown as little dots. The right image shows more, brighter dots than the left.
Webb’s first deep-field image: The MIRI image is on the left and the NIRCam image is on the right. NASA

Because Webb is trying to detect faint heat from faraway objects, it needs to keep itself as cold as possible. That’s why it carries a giant sun shield about the size of a tennis court. This five-layer sun shield blocks heat from the Sun, Earth and even the Moon, helping Webb stay incredibly cold: around -370 degrees F (-223 degrees C).

MIRI needs to be even colder. It has its own special refrigerator, called a cryocooler, to keep it chilled to nearly -447 degrees F (-266 degrees C). If Webb were even a little warm, its own heat would drown out the distant signals it’s trying to detect.

Turning space light into pictures

Once light reaches the Webb telescope’s cameras, it hits sensors called detectors. These detectors don’t capture regular photos like a phone camera. Instead, they convert the incoming infrared light into digital data. That data is then sent back to Earth, where scientists process it into full-color images.

The colors we see in Webb’s pictures aren’t what the camera “sees” directly. Because infrared light is invisible, scientists assign colors to different wavelengths to help us understand what’s in the image. These processed images help show the structure, age and composition of galaxies, stars and more.

By using a giant mirror to collect invisible infrared light and sending it to super-cold cameras, Webb lets us see galaxies that formed just after the universe began.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article and see more than 300 UMBC articles available in The Conversation.

Meet a Retriever—Jessica Floyd, Ph.D. ’17, gender and sexuality scholar and professor

Meet Jessica Floyd, Ph.D. ’17, language, literacy, and culture (LLC). She is an interdisciplinary researcher and scholar who investigates erotic worlds for what they might communicate about gender and sexuality. Her early interests began in her teens while reading the Marquis de Sade’s 120 Days of Sodom, which eventually led her to research John Wilmot, the Second Earl of Rochester, while an undergraduate student at Towson University, and then as a graduate student at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her interests eventually led her to study chanteys as a Ph.D. student at UMBC. Today, she is an adjunct instructor in the gender, women’s, and sexuality studies program at UMBC, and published her first book, Cabin Boys, Milkmaids, and Rough Seas: Identity in the Unexpurgated Repertoire of Stan Hugill, in 2024. Take it away, Jessica! 

Q: What initially brought you to UMBC?

A: I came to UMBC because I was encouraged by a graduate of the LLC program, Dave Truscello, Ph.D. ’04, who was a member of the very first cohort of LLC doctoral students. Once I met faculty from UMBC, I knew that it was the place where I could achieve my dreams of a Ph.D. It was my hope that I would be able to grow a career as a scholar, publishing books and articles that were exciting and which stoked my curiosity. I have been able to do that.

Q: What do you love about the language, literacy, and culture program?

A: I loved the LLC program as it was a place where I was encouraged and supported in ways that I had never experienced before. The program is filled with faculty and mentors who are as excited about what you are doing as you are. There is nothing a student needs more than a group of people rallying behind them, and the LLC community felt like a safe and warm home.

My other favorite part of the LLC program and being in Retriever Nation is that I met my best friend and colleague, Steven Dashiell, professor of gender, women’s, and sexuality studies. He studied in the LLC program with me in my cohort. 

Jessica Floyd, Ph.D. ’17, with her co-chairs after defending her doctoral thesis.
Jessica Floyd, Ph.D. ’17, after graduating from UMBC.

Photos above: Floyd with her co-chairs, Amy Froide and Laura Rosenthal, after defending her doctoral thesis (left). Floyd with her family, Bill Sapp (dad), Kathy Sapp (mom), Cory Floyd (husband), after graduating from UMBC (right).

Q: How would you describe the support you find at UMBC?

A: UMBC is a place where you will be academically challenged, but supported in ways that will transform you. Challenges create strong scholars, but you need allies to work through those challenges. At UMBC, every faculty member is there to see you succeed and will lift you up even when you are at your most vulnerable.

Q: What is your favorite part of Retriever Nation?

A: UMBC is where I earned my doctorate, something that I have wanted since I was a teenager. Being a graduate from UMBC will always be associated with that accomplishment, and I continue to have a warm memory of UMBC based on the experiences there, the people I encountered, and the things I accomplished.

Jessica Floyd, Ph.D. ’17, with the committee (and members of the gender, women's and sexuality studies program, after defending her doctoral thesis.
Jessica Floyd, Ph.D. ’17, with the committee after defending her doctoral thesis. From left to right: Laura Rosenthal, Christine Mallinson, Jessica Floyd, Amy Froide, Kate Drabinski, Marjoleine Kars

Q: Who in the UMBC community has inspired you or supported you?

A: At UMBC, I was able to find a home. My mentor Amy Froide, director of UMBC’s Dresher Center for the Humanities, inspired me to keep pushing and was always in my corner to encourage me as I finished my doctorate. Dr. Froide counseled me during some of my most challenging rejections/revisions. Christine Mallinson, my LLC mentor and advisor, was always there to guide me toward the right path and to steer me in the direction I needed to go in order to accomplish my goals. Kate Drabinski, professor of gender, women’s, and sexuality studies, was also an incredible support and inspiration to me as I was working. She gave me space to stretch my legs and try things out, moving me towards my completed project. Carole McCann, professor of gender, women’s, and sexuality studies, provided the space for me and fellow LLC students to explore theoretical frameworks in gender and women’s studies in an intimate cohort. That experience was foundational to some of my theoretical work in the dissertation. She inspired me to be exacting.

“
UMBC’s faculty allows you to be expansive and believe in you sometimes more than you believe in yourself.

Jessica Floyd, Ph.D. ’17

Language, Literacy, and Culture

Carole McCann hired me in the gender, women’s, and sexuality studies program in the spring of 2022, permitting me space to chase my dream of teaching at the four-year level. I have taught at the college level since 2011, but this was the first time that I taught at the four-year level and at a place that is dear to me.

I was hired to teach Intro to Critical Sexuality Studies, which is my passion and research focus. There, I introduce students to conceptions of sexuality, gender, and identity across time, from looking at erotic poetry from the Restoration in England to pulp erotic novels from the post-Stonewall era. I went on to teach Introduction to Gender and Women’s Studies and enjoyed working with students as we discussed foundational topics in the field.

Just this past fall 2024, I was asked to teach Doin’ It: Case Studies in the History of Western Sexuality, where I was able to draw on my doctoral work and teach an interdisciplinary history course, cross-listed with GWST. In my time teaching as an adjunct at UMBC, it has been exciting for me to work closely with students and see the incredibly creative projects and ideas they brought with them. What was most rewarding, for me, was seeing my own students light up in ways that I did as an undergraduate, taking some of their own research projects and developing them into conference papers, undergraduate theses, and even potential publications. 

Q: Can you tell us about your book?

A: In 2024, I published my first book, Cabin Boys, Milkmaids, and Rough Seas: Identity in the Unexpurgated Repertoire of Stan Hugill, which grew out of my doctoral work at UMBC. The monograph specifically analyzes bawdy chanteys, sailing worksongs of the sea, from the repertoire of famed chantey singer and collector Stan Hugill and were a part of a collection of songs he sent to Gershon Legman, a notable collector and researcher of bawdy content. As a Dresher Center Fellow, I was able to travel to Opio, France, to meet with Legman’s widow and acquire the correspondence between Legman and Hugill that they exchanged as they were in the process of sharing material. Early in my doctoral work, Judith Legman, Legman’s widow, sent me a copy of the chapter containing the songs from Hugill’s repertoire that were a part of this epistolary exchange. These songs were thought long-lost, and nearly every collector I met noted the rarity of the collection. 

The songs confirmed much of the cultural ideal about chanteys, which is that they are often salacious and highly erotic. Both my dissertation and the ultimate book project contend that chanteys are release valves for internal tensions: sexual, emotional, and psychological, and that sailors likely used chanteys as hidden transcripts that communicated complicated and kaleidoscopic desires. They are akin to confessions, and though they are often short and many sensations are buried under nautical metaphors, the songs are rich with complicated expressions of interiorities. 

My initial interest in chanteys grew out of my master’s-level work at the University of Maryland, College Park. I began researching chanteys as anecdotal discussion of them demonstrated that they were a lot like the bawdy poetry I studied of John Wilmot, the Second Earl of Rochester. In fact, my initial interest in chanteys was based on hearing a rendition of “Barnacle Bill the Sailor” (not a chantey) sung at my kitchen table by my father. As I began researching chanteys, though, I realized that it was a far larger project than a master’s thesis, and ultimately proposed the chantey project when I applied for the Language, Literacy, and Culture Program at UMBC.

* * * * *

UMBC’s greatest strength is its people. When people meet Retrievers and hear about the passion they bring, the relationships they create, the ways they support each other, and the commitment they have to inclusive excellence, they truly get a sense of our community. That’s what “Meet a Retriever” is all about.

Learn more about how UMBC can help you achieve your goals.

UMBC UMBC
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 Directions & Parking

Resources

Important Contacts

Emergency Info

Contact Us

Apply

Top Stories of the Week

© UMBC: A University System of Maryland Member Institution