Joey Jennings
Sociology PhD Candidate
University of Maryland-College Park
"The task is to transform society; only the people can do that -- not heroes, not celebrities, not stars."
Huey P. Newton
About Me
Joey Jennings is a fourth-year Ph.D. Candidate and research assistant in the department of sociology at the University of Maryland. He is a graduate of Winthrop University and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. Joey has current work which investigates the peculiar institution that is American Slavery. Specifically, he is coding 18th century newspaper advertisements documenting runaway enslaved persons to explore this unique form of collective action and greater understand these individuals who were resisting this horrendous institution. Social movement scholarship, and sociology literature, lack a proper assessment of the period of enslavement despite the continual impact this institution has on contemporary American life. Therefore, a second project, collaborating with Dr. Wayne Santoro, seeks to investigate resistance efforts via slave revolts to bridge this gap and begin conceptualizing this freedom movement. Finally, he is working on a specialty area exam reviewing colorism literature which will inform sections of a solo-authored work and forward supplementary literature for his dissertation work on enslavement.
Joey has invested interest in scholarship about race, resistance, colorism, sociology of sport, and structural inequalities.
Conference Presentations
2022 Joey Jennings
"Color-Coding: A Finer Look at Colorism Processes During Colonial [U.S.] Slavery"
Assosiation of Black Sociologists (Chicago, IL)
2020 Joey Jennings; Research Mentor: Maria Aysa-Lastra
“Race Relations and Police Brutality”
Eastern Sociological Society, Annual Meeting (Philadelphia, PA)
2019 Joey Jennings, Letisha Brown, Stephanie Jones, Danielle Koonce, and Rod Martinez
“Black Activism and Resistance within Racialized Organizations”
The North American Society for the Sociology of Sport, Annual Meeting (Virginia Beach, VA)
2018 Joey Jennings; Research Mentor: Maria Aysa-Lastra
“Race Relations and Police Brutality”
Winthrop University College of Arts and Science Academic Showcase (Rock Hill, SC)
2018 Joey Jennings; Research Mentor: Maria Aysa-Lastra
“Race Relations and Police Brutality”
Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (Rock Hill, SC)
2018 Joey Jennings, Ivette Jimenez, Courtney Patterson, and Elizabeth Cobb;
Research Mentors: Dr. Michael Turner and Dr. Lyn Exum
“Investigation and Exploration of Charlotte Homicides”
Midwest Criminal Justice Association, Annual Meeting (Chicago, IL)
2018 Joey Jennings, Ivette Jimenez, Courtney Patterson, and Elizabeth Cobb;
Research Mentors: Dr. Michael Turner and Dr. Lyn Exum
“Investigation and Exploration of Charlotte Homicides”
University of North Carolina-Charlotte Research Symposium (Charlotte, NC)
2018 Joey Jennings; Research Mentor: Maria Aysa-Lastra
“Race Relations and Police Brutality”
Southern Sociological Society, Annual Meeting (New Orleans, LA)
*see CV for description of research*
This is a concise description of your previous work experience and the responsibilities you had. The most effective CVs give a clear snapshot of where you’re coming from and where you’re going in a way that’s easy for readers to scan and absorb quickly.
Education
My Studies
May 2019
B.A. Sociology
Minor: Spanish
GPA: 3.71; Deans List, five semesters
Winthrop University Blue Line Academic Scholarship and Athletic Scholarship
Athletic Presidential Honor Roll, every year; Big South Conference All-Academic
May 2021
M.A Sociology
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.
Master's Thesis covered patterns of runaway enslaved persons during 18th-century U.S. American slavery.
Research Interests: Race, Social Movements, Colorism, and Sociology of Sport.
August 2019-Expected 2024
PhD Sociology
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.
Specialty area exam is seeking to explore colorism literature.
Dissertation work seeks to explore race and resistance patterns during U.S. American enslavement.
Research Interests: Race, Social Movements, Colorism, and Sociology of Sport.
Software Proficiencies
SAS
STATA
R-Studio
SPSS
ArcGIS
Atlas.TI
Excel
Word
PowerPoint
