Cocoa Williams has been a Faculty Member Since 2021 and is a Lecturer of English.
Ph.D. (In Progress), Florida State University
M.A., Clemson University
B.A., English, Valdosta State University
B.A., Philosophy, Valdosta State University
My research seeks to connect discussions surrounding the campaign to establish a National museum for the preservation of African American arts and culture to the broader struggle of black artists within early twentieth century museum culture and beyond. I want to understand and celebrate the historical moment that the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture represents by connecting its history to other histories related to inclusiveness in museum spaces and productions of imaginative, visionary spaces when that need is not fulfilled by the larger cultural apparatus. This work also emphasizes the importance of the Black writer’s engagement with museum spaces and their sensitivity to the plight of the African American visual artists in their poetry and prose.