FELICIA A. HENRY
Department of Sociology
American University
Washington, D.C.
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
2024- Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track), Department of Sociology
American University
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Sociology, University of Delaware 2024
Dissertation: “I knew it was COVID; I knew I was on probation”: The Impact of the Carceral State on Black Women’s Disaster Experience. Professor Tricia Wachtendorf, committee chair
* George Herbert Ryden Prize in the Social Sciences for Outstanding Dissertation
Master of Social Work, University of Pennsylvania 2015
Bachelor of Social Work, Temple University 2014
RESEARCH EXPERTISE
Race, ethnicity, gender, class, carceral studies, arts-based activism, critical criminology, disasters and the environment, and social vulnerability
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Spring 2023 Lecturer, Race and Society, University of Delaware
Fall 2022 Adjunct Instructor, Disaster Resilience Academy Institute, Tulane University
ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS
Henry, F.A., & Wachtendorf, T. (2023). “It’s just this lingering, hovering thing…” Professionals supporting individuals under community supervision during disasters. Social Sciences and Humanities. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2023.100750
Henry, F.A. (2023). Racialized, Sexualized, and Criminalized: Carceral Citizenship of Black Women. Critical Criminology.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-023-09695-8
Kupchik, A., & Henry, F. A. (2022). Generations of Criminalization: Resistance to Desegregation and School Punishment. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 60(1), 43–78. https://doi.org/10.1177/00224278221120675
Purdum, J.C., Henry, F. A., Rucker, S., Williams, D.A., Thomas, R., Dixon, B., & Jacobs, F. (2021). No Justice, No Resilience: Prison Abolition as Hazard Mitigation in an Era of Climate Change. Environmental Justice. 14(6), 418-425.https://doi.org/10.1089/env.2021.0020
Pixley, C. L., Henry, F. A., DeYoung, S. E., & Settembrino, M. R. (2021). The role of homelessness community-based organizations during COVID-19. Journal of Community Psychology, 50(4), 1816-1830. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22609
Henry, F. A., & Wachtendorf, T. (2020). Compounded social vulnerability: Parole supervision and disasters. Corrections, 8(4), 249-283. https://10.1080/23774657.2020.186272
GRANTS
Principal Investigator
“Compounded Vulnerability: The Impact of Disasters on Community Supervision”, submitted to Arnold Ventures Foundation (AV) ($99,993) with Co-Principal Investigator Tricia Wachtendorf (2/1/24-1/31/26)
Principal Investigator
I'm Literally Taking It Out the Mud: An Arts Exhibition Honoring Black Women’s Resistance in the Criminal Legal System, funded by the University of Delaware Anti-Racism Initiative (UDARI) Summer Scholars Grant Award ($5,000) with Collaborators Delaware History Society’s Jane and Littleton Mitchell Center for African American Heritage and Janay Nachel (6/1/23-8/15/23)
Principal Investigator
“Invisible and Hypervisible: The Impact of the Carceral State on Black Women’s Disaster Experience”, Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Law and Society Dissertation Grant (LSDG) Administered by Arizona State University ($18,937) (8/1/22-1/31/24)
Co-Principal Investigator
“Police Violence, COVID-19, and Collective Behavior: Understanding How Social Structural Conditions Relate to Individual Perceptions” Funded by the University of Delaware, College of Arts and Sciences ($3,636) with Co-Principal Investigators Chanya Anderson and Stephanie Ha (June 2021)
SELECT CURATORIAL WORK AND EXHIBITS
Curator/Artist
Artivism and the Experiences of Black Women Under Court Supervision During COVID-19: A Re-Exhibit of Felicia Henry’s “I’m Literally Taking It Out the Mud”. A Social Justice Course Creation. Newark, DE (Fall 2024)
Curator
I'm Literally Taking It Out the Mud: An Arts Exhibition Honoring Black Women’s Resistance in the Criminal Legal Systemwith Collaborators Jane and Littleton Mitchell Center for African American Heritage, Janay Nachel, Wendell Sisnett, and Joshua Kumar. Newark, DE (August 2023) https://youtu.be/_42uEnHx8NQ?si=0XzVGheWWoXRFGGK
Curator
The Disaster of Injustice: COVID X Incarceration. A Virtual Roundtable Discussion Series hosted by Behind the Walls, Between the Lines (BTWBTL) with Dr. Dylan Rodriguez, Adnan Khan, Darren Mack, Keshad Adeniyi (Ife Nira), Richard Thomas, and Cheryl (Missy) Wilkins (October 2020)
Curator
Black Joy: Art as Resistance. A Virtual Series hosted by Behind the Walls, Between the Lines (BTWBTL) with Dozzy Daniel, Bria Denise, Destiny Washington, Kevin Anglade, Chelsea West, I Am Sanovia, Redeemed, Rob LaRay, Alia “Li” Pierre, Michele and Co Campbell, Josh Immanuel, Simone and Ackeem Hill, Relle the Poet, and Erica “E” Mack (July 2020)
Curator
Black. Woman. ____. An evening of storytelling and dialogue hosted by Behind the Walls, Between the Lines (BTWBTL) with Relle the Poet, Rob LaRay, Folk the Artist, Kaitlyn, I Am Sanovia, Chelsea West, Joy, and Fiery Strings Divas. Brooklyn, New York (June 2019)
Curator
#AmINext? Hosted by Behind the Walls, Between the Lines (BTWBTL) with Li, Leah James, Kevin Anglade, Zachary “Trumpet Kid” Durham, Relle the Poet, Ashley Clarke, I Am Sanovia, Folk the Artist, Kadeem Riley, Emir Fils-Aime, Quardeen Lewis-Allen, Dawud Ziyad Iman, and Topeka Sam. Brooklyn, New York (April 2016). https://youtu.be/18-rerrpnDQ?si=vTczYwGRWQmHaCgT
Curator
The Debut: Behind the Walls, Between the Lines. An exploration of the place where poetry and social justice collide with Tiffany Thompkins, Mydera, Lenora Magee, Miguel Huerta, Angeline Cazeau, I Am Sanovia, and David Thompson. Philadelphia, PA (February 2015).
PRESENTATIONS
Henry, F.A. (June 2024). "It’s just another form of slav—slavery..." Black Women Under Community Supervision Reckoning with the Carceral State". Presentation at Law and Society Annual Meeting, Denver, CO.
Henry, F.A. (May 2024). (Re)Imagined Futures: The Power of Artivism in Disasters and Climate Change. Featured presentation at the Disaster Research Center 60th Anniversary Workshop. Newark, DE.
Henry, F.A., Muhammad, T., Ludwig, J., Hamilton, N., Kelley, S. and Donaldson, R. (May 2024). Prison Prisms: Museums, Carceral History, and Criminal Justice Reform. Presentation at the American Alliance of Museums 2024 Annual Meeting and Museum Expo. Baltimore, MD.
Henry, F.A. (February 2024). “It’s Just This Lingering, Hovering Thing” Professionals Supporting Individuals Under Community Supervision During Disasters. Presentation at the American Probation and Parole Association’s (APPA) 2024 Winter Training Institute, Seattle, WA.
Henry, F.A. (February 2024). “I knew it was COVID; I knew I was on probation”: The Impact of the Carceral State on Black Women’s Disaster Experience. Presentation at Delaware State University, Dover, DE.
Henry, F.A. (November 2023). "I'm Literally Taking It Out the Mud": Black Women’s Resistance in the Criminal Legal System. Paper accepted at the American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.
Henry, F.A. (August 2023). Racialized, Sexualized, and Criminalized: Carceral Citizenship of Black Women. Paper presented at American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.
Henry, F. (August 2023). “Invisible and Hypervisible”: The Impact of Community Supervision on Black Women’s Disaster Experience. University of Delaware Community Engagement Initiative, Anti-Racism Initiative (UDARI) Graduate Summer Scholars Symposium. Newark, DE.
Henry, F.A., Muhammad, T., Ludwig, J., Noble, A., Hamilton, N. (April 2023). Prison Prisms: Reflections on Prison History and Criminal Justice Reform in New York State through the Lens of Auburn, Attica, and Sing Sing. Moderator for Museum Association of New York (MANY) Annual Conference.
Henry, F. (October 2022). “Under Control but Unprotected: The Disaster Experiences of Individuals Under Community Supervision”. Paper presented at Northern European Emergencies and Disasters Symposium NEEDS Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Henry, F. (November, 2021). “Yo Bro, What Imma Do Now?”: Understanding the Impact of Disasters on Populations Under Community Supervision. Paper presented at American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, Washington D.C.
Henry, F. (November, 2020). It’s Intersectional: Exploring Race, Class, Gender, and Recidivism in Community Corrections. Paper presented at American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, Washington D.C.
Henry, F.A. (July 15, 2020). The Disaster of Injustice: COVID-19 and Prisons. Bill Anderson Fund Lightning Talks, powered by PechaKucha.
Henry, F.A. (July 15, 2020). Race, Justice, and Disasters. Feminism, Gender, and (Historical) Science and Technology Studies Workshop, hosted by Interdisciplinary Centre for Science and Technology Studies, University of Wuppertal, Germany
Kupchik, A. & Henry, F. (May, 2020). School Desegregation and Punishment: Exploring How Historical Racial Conflict Relates to Contemporary School Discipline. Paper presented at Law and Society Annual Meeting, Denver, CO.
Henry, F.A. (March 27, 2020). Compounded Social Vulnerability: Community Supervision and Disasters. Bill Anderson Fund Presentation Feedback Session hosted by William Averette Anderson Fund, University of Delaware.
Henry, F. & Wachtendorf, T. (February, 2020). Compounded Vulnerability: Community Supervision and Disasters. Paper presented at Eastern Sociological Society Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Henry, F. (2023). White Supremacy. In Angela Jones, Ed, African American activism and political engagement: An encyclopedia of empowerment (1st Edition.). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, LLC.
Henry, F. (2020, May 29). COVID-19 is a disaster. So is mass Black Death. Medium. https://medium.com/@henry.feliciaa/covid-19-is-a-disaster-so-is-mass-black-death-c38a29b5936c
Henry, F., & Knowles, S. G. (2020, October 22). Opinion: 3 big ideas to fuel an equitable COVID recovery. WHYY Plan Philly. https://whyy.org/articles/3-big-ideas-to-fuel-an-equitable-covid-recovery/
Henry, F., & Horney, J. (2020). Sacramento County, CA Incarceration and COVID-19 Report, Sacramento County, CA (Coalition of Advocates)
Aggarwal, R., Alam, E., Canavan, D., Clark-Ginsberg, A., [and 23 others, including Henry, F.A.] (2020). Research Agenda-Setting Paper. Social Science Extreme Events Research. Natural Hazards Center.
HONORS AND AWARDS
2019-2024 Unidel Distinguished Graduate Scholars Award
University of Delaware
2023 Scarpitti Graduate Student Award
University of Delaware
2022 Corlett Nagel Family Disaster Research Center Enrichment Fund Fellow
University of Delaware
2021 Annual Hazards and Disasters Student Paper Competition
Natural Hazards Center
2019 Unidel Award (2019)
University of Delaware
KEYNOTE, INVITED SPEECHES, FEATURED TALKS, and WEBINARS
· B, M., & McVay, J. (2023, September 25). Yes, Even Social Activists Need Rest, Too, with/ Guest Felicia Henry. The Verywell Mind Podcast episode 274. https://megaphone.link/MERE4825232908.
· Underwood, A. (2023, September 25). Yes, even social activists need rest too. How to embrace the #SoftLife. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/social-activists-need-rest-self-care-felicia-henry-7971701
· Henry, F.A. (September 27, 2022). Guest Lecturer, Race, Ethnicity, and Families. Sociology of Families, University of Delaware.
· Henry, F. (August 2, 2022). Moderator. #MILLSUMMIT Conference. Wilmington, DE.
· #COVIDCalls (June 2022). EP #476 - 3.15.2022 - Restoring Memory: A Pandemic of Racism. https://covidcalls.podbean.com/e/ep-476-3152022-restoring-memory-a-pandemic-of-racism/
· Henry, F. (2022) Opening Performer. University of Delaware Changemakers Conference.
· Henry, F.A. (March, 2022). Public Testimony. NYS Joint Hearing on Sexual Assault in Prisons.
· Henry, F. (2021). What Do Art and Activism Have in Common? | Felicia Henry | TEDxUniversityofDelaware. https://tedx.udel.edu/breakthrough-2021/ https://youtu.be/GaTNC66txFw
· #COVIDCalls (2021). EP #299 - 06.28.2021 - Racial Justice and COVID-19 w/ Guest Host Felicia Henry & Pastor Isaac Scott. https://covidcalls.podbean.com/e/ep-299-06282021-racial-justice-and-covid-19-w-felicia-henry-pastor-issac-scott/
· #COVIDCalls (2021). EP #293 - 06.21.2021 - Environmental Justice & COVID Justice w/ Guest Host Felicia Henry. https://covidcalls.podbean.com/e/ep-293-06212021-environmental-justice-covid-justice-hosted-by-felicia-henry/
· #COVIDCalls (2021). EP #289 - 06.14.2021 - Prisons and the Pandemic w/ Guest Host Felicia Henry. https://covidcalls.podbean.com/e/ep-289-06142021-prisons-and-the-pandemic-w-guest-host-felicia-henry/
· Henry, F.A. (October 22, 2020). Guest lecturer. Sociology of COVID-19. University of Delaware.
· Henry, F.A. (October 22, 2020). Presenter. #DearCANY: COVID-19 Diaries from Prison. Correctional Association of New York.
· Henry, F.A. (October 19, 2020). Panelist. Hindsight is 2020. Panel hosted by University of Delaware Associate in Arts Program.
· Henry, F.A. (September, 2020). Public Testimony. NYC Council Hearing on COVID-19 in Jails and Prisons.
· #COVIDCalls (2020). EP #68 - Antiracism and Disaster Management- Felicia Henry & Monica Sanders. https://covidcalls.podbean.com/e/ep-68-antiracism-emergency-management-felicia-henry-monica-sanders/
DEPARTMENTAL SERVICE
Minority Mentor Lecture Series (MMLS) Committee Member, University of Delaware. 2020-2024.
Member, Sociology and Criminal Justice Graduate Student Council, University of Delaware. 2019-2024.
President, Sociology and Criminal Justice Graduate Student Council, University of Delaware. 2021-2022.
Vice President, Sociology and Criminal Justice Graduate Student Council, University of Delaware. 2020-2021.
Secretary, Sociology and Criminal Justice Graduate Student Council, University of Delaware. 2019-2020.
UNIVERSITY SERVICE
Member, University of Delaware Anti-Racism Initiative (UDARI) 2023-2024
Panelist, Provost’s Symposium on Engaged Scholarship Promoting Racial Justice - Graduate Student Forum. 2020-2021.
Graduate Student Government Diversity Committee Member. 2020-2021.
Graduate Student Government Senator, SOCI/CJ department. 2020-2021.
Performer, Center for Black Culture’s Black History Month Extravaganza. 2020.
Chair, Disaster Research Center, Graduate Student Working Group. 2020-2021.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Peer Reviewer, Journal of Human Rights Practice. 2024- Present.
Peer Reviewer, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 2023- Present.
Peer Reviewer, Disaster Prevention and Management. 2023- Present.
Peer Reviewer, Critical Criminology. 2023- Present.
Peer Reviewer, Natural Hazards Review. 2020- Present.
Chairperson, William (Bill) Averette Anderson Fund Fellowship (Student Council). 2021-2022.
Programming Committee Member, William (Bill) Averette Anderson Fund Fellowship (Student Council). 2019-2021.
MEMBERSHIPS IN PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Member, American Sociological Association. 2019-present.
Member, Law and Society Association. 2019-present.
Member, American Society of Criminology. 2019-present.
Member, American Probation and Parole Association. 2019-present.
Member, Alpha Kappa Delta Sociology Honor Society. 2019-2024.
Member, William (Bill) Averette Anderson Fund. 2019-2024
OTHER AFFILIATIONS
Alumni, Disaster Research Center