My research is a blend of sociological, spatial-temporal, and demographic inquiry. My primary line of work has focused on understanding why some places have higher levels of black-white inequality than others. To that end, I interrogate a number of explanations, most notably black population concentration and local historical context.

In my dissertation I pursue a previously unexamined explanation for why percent black is related to the spatial distribution of black-white inequality across counties: selective migration. This extension will provide the foundation for assessing hypotheses linking black population concentration to black-white inequality, such as the racial threat thesis. Despite its prominence in the inequality literature, there is considerable debate regarding explanations for the association between percent black and black economic disadvantage.

In other work I assess how the historical context of slavery continues to affect the contemporary spatial distribution of black-white poverty inequality. This research has taken two forms. First, in my master’s thesis work I develop an argument for how a legacy of slavery may be embedded within place and affect the level of black disadvantage across southern counties. This work extends inequality theory by emphasizing the role of place and historical context in the generation and perpetuation of black-white inequality. Second, in more recent work I assess the extent to which historical slavery context explains regional differentiation in how and whether percent black is related to the spatial distribution of black-white inequality (with Katherine J. Curtis). This work provides insight into alternative hypotheses for percent black’s relationship with black disadvantage; and clarifies the legacy of slavery’s role in (re)producing inequality by suggesting that it does so by structuring the effect of percent black.

I will continue to pursue these and other spatially-, historically- and demographically-informed lines of sociological research in future work as I develop and expand my research agenda.