Her research centers on representational constructions of race, gender, class, and nation, and processes of identity formation, with a specific emphasis on citizenship narratives surrounding immigration, tourism, immigrants, and black women. Her regional focus is the Caribbean, particularly Haiti. Her most recent publications include her first book Race, Gender, and Citizenship in the African Diaspora: Travelling Blackness (Routledge 2017). The book won the 2017 National Communication Association Outstanding Book Award from the African American Communication & Culture Division and the Black Caucus. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication and Graduate Certificate in Feminist Studies from the University of Washington.