A Ford Foundation Diversity Fellow, she earned her Ph.D. in African Diaspora Studies at UC Berkeley and served as the Postdoctoral Fellow in African American Studies at Northwestern University. Johnson's work examines the politics of black movement including dance, diasporic travel, and gentrification. Interdisciplinary in nature, her work is situated at the intersection of diaspora theory, dance and performance studies, ethnography, and black feminism. Currently, Johnson is working on her book manuscript "Rhythm Nation: West African Dance and the Politics of Diaspora," forthcoming from Oxford University Press. Johnson is a founding member of The Collegium for African Diaspora Dance. She is also a dancer, and performs internationally. Moderator: Kimberly Juanita Brown, Assistant Professor of English and Africana Studies, Mount Holyoke College