Seven Black Academics Are Among This Year’s “Genius Award” Winners

Photo credit: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation | Illustration: JBHE The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation recently announced the 22 latest recipients in its fellowship program, commonly referred to as “genius grants.” MacArthur fellows receive a grant of $800,000 over five years to spend however they want on their academic or creative endeavors. Winners have shown exceptional creativity in their work and the promise to do more. Of this year’s 22 winners, seven are Black scholars with ties to the academic world. Ruha Benjamin is the Alexander Stewart 1886 Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and the founding director of the Ida B. Wells Just Data Lab. Dr. Benjamin is a transdisciplinary scholar and writer illuminating how advances in science, medicine, and technology reflect and reproduce social inequality. She is the author of several books including Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code (Polity, 2019). Professor Benjamin received a bachelor’s degree from Spelman College in Atlanta. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. Jericho Brown is the the Charles Howard Candler Professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University in Atlanta. Previously, he...