History
The Society of Black Archaeologists was created in 2011 with five goals in mind:
To lobby on behalf and ensure the proper treatment of African and African Diaspora material culture
To encourage more people of African descent to enter the field of archaeology
To raise and address concerns related to African peoples worldwide
To highlight the past and present achievements and contributions that people of African descent have made to the field of archaeology
To ensure the communities affected by archaeological work act not just as objects of study or informants but are active makers and/or participants in the unearthing of their own history
Mission:
The Society of Black Archaeologists (SBA) centers the histories and material cultures of global Black and African communities in archaeological research. By providing a strong network, mentorship, and educational access, the SBA works to resolve the ongoing systemic exclusion of Black and African scholars and communities from the field of archaeology. The SBA aims to provide avenues of engagement and training that will prepare Black and African scholars and communities to be active participants in the documentation, excavation, preservation, and interpretation of Black and African heritage.
Vision:
The vision of the Society of Black Archaeologists (SBA) is to create a strong network of archaeologists that advocates to ensure the proper treatment of African and African diaspora material culture, promotes more people of African descent to enter the field of archaeology, ensures community collaborations, raises and addresses concerns related to African peoples worldwide, and highlights the past and present achievements and contributions people of African descent have made to the field of archaeology.
SBA Members at SHA 2017 in Dallas, Texas. (from left) Row 1: Dr. Alexandra Jones, Dr. Whitney Battle-Baptiste, Dr. Ayana Flewellen, Dr. Peggy Brunache, Dr. Nedra Lee, Row 3: Dr. Lewis Jones, Dr. William White, Dr. Jerry Howard, Dr. Justin Dunnavant, and Khadene Harris.
SBA Members at SHA 2016 in Washington, DC (from left) Row 1: Jarre Hamilton, Tiffany Momon Row 2: Cheryl LaRoche, Alexandra Jones, Tiffany Cain, Mia Carey, Kamau Sadiki, Michael Blakey, Teresa Singleton Row 3: Ayana Flewellen, Terry Weik, Lewis Jones, Bill White, Justin Dunnavant
Get in touch
(202) – 793 - 6610 www.societyofblackarchaeologists.com • info@societyofblackarchaeologists.com
Board Members
President
Justin Dunnavant, Ph.D.
Dr. Justin Dunnavant is a UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Santa Cruz. His dissertation research explored the intersection of archaeology, identity, and the politics of representation among the Wolaita of southern Ethiopia. His current research in St. Croix, USVI investigates the ecology of enslavement in the former Danish West Indies. He has conducted archaeological excavations in Belize, Jamaica, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mozambique, and The Gambia. In addition to his archaeological research, Justin is a founding member of the Society of Black Archaeologists.
Education
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
Ph.D., 2017
HOWARD UNIVERSITY
B.A., History and Anthropology, 2009
President-Elect
Ayana Omilade Flewellen, Ph.D.
Ayana Omilade Flewellen is a UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California Berkeley. Her research and teaching interest are shaped by and speak to historical archaeology, public and community engaged archaeology, processes of identity formations, representations of slavery, and Black feminist theory. The bulk of her research interest span geographically across the archaeology of the African Diaspora. She has conducted archaeological excavations and oral historical research related to slavery and freedom in the U.S. South as well as the Caribbean. In addition to her archaeological research, Ayana is a founding member of the Society of Black Archaeologists.
Education
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN Ph.D., 2018
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
B.A., Anthropology, 2011
Board Member
Alexandra Jones, Ph.D.
Alexandra Jones is an education leader focused on community outreach and service. Dr. Jones has been an educator for more than 14 years; she has taught in multiple educational environments from primary schools to museums, colleges and camps. She obtained dual Bachelors of Arts degrees from Howard University in History and Anthropology in 2001. Dr. Jones became a classroom teacher and discovered she had a natural talent for teaching. In an effort to further her career as a teacher she continued her education by obtaining a Master’s degree in History from Howard University in 2003 and then attending University of California, Berkeley to obtain a Ph.D. in Historical Archaeology in 2010. She currently teaches people of all ages about archaeology. Dr. Jones worked for PBS’s television show Time Team America as the Archaeology Field School Director, where she directed field schools for junior high and high school students at each of the sites for the 2013 season. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Baltimore City Community College and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Baltimore and is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Archaeology in the Community.
Education
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
Ph.D., 2010
HOWARD UNIVERSITY
B.A., History and Anthropology, 2001
Board Member
Cheryl LaRoche, Ph.D.
For more than a decade, archaeologist Dr. Cheryl LaRoche has been researching and physically exploring the landscapes of 18th and 19th century free Black communities, their churches, cemeteries and institutions, and their relationship to the Underground Railroad. She is a historical and archaeological consultant who combines law, history, oral history, archaeology, geography, and material culture to define nineteenth century African American cultural landscapes and its relationship to escape from slavery. She often works at the sometimes contentious interface between the public and scholars, professionals and municipalities. Her first book Free Black Communities and the Underground Railroad: The Geography of Resistance was published in 2014 by the University of Illinois Press.
Education
University of Maryland
Ph.D., 2004, American Studies
Board Member
Jay V. Haigler
A graduate of the Catholic University of America, with a Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering, Jay loves the technical aspects of underwater archaeology. Jay received his initial Open Water SCUBA diver training from Dr. A. José Jones in 2005 through the Underwater Adventure Seekers (UAS), the founding club of the National Association of Black Scuba Divers (NABS). Having developed a strong interest in underwater archeology, Jay immersed himself in Diving With a Purpose (DWP)projects and became a lead instructor. DWP is a leading international organization that provides education and training programs, mission leadership, and project support services for submerged heritage preservation and conservation projects worldwide with a focus on the African Diaspora.Diving with a Purpose has documented 17shipwrecks and contributed more than 15,000volunteer hours to maritime archaeology efforts. Jay invests countless hours mentoring, training and honing the skills of new divers. In addition to being certified as a Master Scuba Diver Trainer by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), Jay is the Diving Safety Officer for the Scientific Diving Program of the NABS Foundation. The NABS Foundation is an organizational member of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences.
Catholic University of America
B.A., Electrical Engineering, 1982
