He recently completed his dissertation from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign entitled “The Specter of Black Labor: African American Workers in Illinois before the Great Migration.” This research focuses on the actions, reactions, and opinions of Afro-Illinoisans during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in relation to their own position as laborers. The research has been well-received, having been recognized in state-wide fellowship competitions, including the King Hostick award through the Illinois State Historical Society.