Dr. Alexandria Russell is a W.E.B. Du Bois Research Institute Fellow at Harvard University’s Hutchins Center for African & African American Research and the Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Curator at Boston Symphony Orchestra. She has previously worked on Capitol Hill for Congressman James E. Clyburn (SC-06), as a middle school educator in South Carolina, and as a public history consultant with the National Park Service. Through her ethical research practice, she recovers obscure histories and creates accessible pathways for bringing diverse histories to people of all backgrounds.

Russell is a 2023 recipient of the South Carolina Preservation Service Award for her contributions to African American Women’s History Research and Documentation. Her forthcoming book project with University of Illinois Press, Sites Seen and Unseen: Mapping African American Women’s Public History, is a national study that examines the evolution of African American women’s memorialization in the United States from the late nineteenth century to the present. Her work in the digital humanities has yielded several flourishing projects, including the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Tour Experience and “A Legacy of Leadership: Early African American Alumni of Harvard & Radcliffe.”