She is the author of Liberated Threads: Black Women, Style, and the Global Politics of Soul (UNC Press), which won the OAH Liberty Legacy Award for Best Book on Civil Rights Movement history. Ford has published scholarly articles in the Journal of Southern History, Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art, and The Black Scholar. Her public writing and cultural commentary have been featured in diverse media outlets and publications including Elle.com, The Root, New York Times, New Yorker, NPR: Code Switch, Fuse, News One, New York City’s HOT 97, The Feminist Wire, Vibe Vixen, Feministing, and New Black Man. Her research has been supported by institutions including the Ford Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the Center for Black Music Research.