A former professional dancer/actress from Canada, I chose to shift my passion for popular culture from the studio and stage to the classroom. I'm currently an Associate Professor of History at American University. Previously, I was an Assistant Professor of American Studies at the University at Buffalo (SUNY). My first book, Jack Johnson, Rebel Sojourner: Boxing in the Shadow of the Global Color Line (University of California Press), explores Johnson’s worldwide legacy as a black sporting hero and anticolonial icon in places as far-flung as Sydney, London, Cape Town, Manila, Paris, Havana, and Mexico City. My research and teaching interests include the intersection of race, gender, and resistance in popular culture; black transnationalism and U.S. transnational/international history; imperialism and globalization; comparative ethnic studies; postcolonial studies; European race relations; and black Canada. Off campus, my hobbies include social media, reading, working out, watching reality TV shows, and taking my yorkipoo Billie to the park. (Portrait by Onada Photography)