CV of A. Harper breezeharper@gmail.com http://www.breezeharper.com http://sistahveganproject.com Research Interests • How black females in the USA are: (1) educated to make their food choices. (2) applying meaning and value to health and nutrition. (3) resisting health disparities through Afrikan/Afro-centric holistic health and/or plant-based (veganism, raw foodism, etc) dietary practices. (4) constructing their concept of “blackness” or “Afro-centricity” through nutrition, food, and wellness philosophies and praxis. • How racialization in the USA affects one's relationship to, and perception of, plant-centered foodways (e.g. vegetarianism, raw foodism, veganism) and other "healthy" and "ethical" food praxis (farmer's markets, organic food) Honors & Awards 2009-2010 Graduate Student Research Mentor Fellowship (Pre-Doctoral). University of California, Davis. Davis, CA. Pre-Doctoral research funded to analyze and explore how: black females engage in vegetarianism, raw foodism and veganism being racialized in the USA affects one's relationship to, and perception of, plant-based foodways (e.g. vegetarianism, raw foodism, veganism) and other "healthy" and "ethical" food praxes (farmer's markets, organic food) 2007 Dean’s Award for Outstanding Masters Thesis in Educational Technologies. Harvard University. Cambridge, MA. 2005 Diversity Scholarship recipient to attend the “Women and Power” conference. Omega Institute. Rhinebeck, NY. September 1998 Innovative Thesis Award. Department of Geography. Dartmouth College, 1997 Citation for Excellent Coursework and Teaching Assistantship: “Introduction to Women’s Studies.” Department of Women’s Studies. Dartmouth College. 1994 Citation for Excellent Coursework: “Food and Hunger.” Department of Geography. Dartmouth College. Educational Background Ph.D. Student. Geography (Critical Food Geographies and Critical Race Theory). University of California, Davis. 2007-Present Researching: • How black females in the USA are: (1) educated to make their food choices. (2) applying meaning and value to health and nutrition. (3) resisting health disparities through Afrikan/Afro-centric holistic health and/or plant-based (veganism, raw foodism, etc) dietary practices. (4) constructing their concept of “blackness” or “Afro-centricity” through nutrition, food, and wellness philosophies and praxis. • How being racialized in the USA affects one's relationship to and perception of plant-centered foodways (e.g. vegetarianism, raw foodism, veganism) and other "healthy" and "ethical" food praxis (farmer's markets, organic food) 2007 Masters Degree Educational Technologies. Harvard University. Masters Thesis: "Cyber-territories of Whiteness: Language, 'Colorblind' Utopias, and Sistah Vegan Consciousness." Masters Thesis Advisor: Dr. Michelle M. Wright (remote advisor from University of Minnesota) Click here for more information. *Cyber-ethnography of cyberspace to study performances of whiteness. *How to use digital technology for education that is targeted towards “at risk” youths and Black females. *Using cyberspace technology for and health and nutrition education. 1998 B.A. Geography. Dartmouth College. Undergraduate Thesis: “Foucault and the Heterosexist Panopticon.” http://breezeharper.tripod.com/foucault_heterosexist.pdf Advisor: Dr. Adrian J. Bailey Publications Books Scars. A novel about the processes of racial healing, and reconciliation, and love. Click here for more information. Sistah Vegan! Black Females Speak on Food, Identity, Health, and Society. Forthcoming Lantern Books, 2010. www.sistahveganproject.com Book Chapters Alkon, Alison and Julian Agyeman. The Food Justice Reader: Cultivating a Just Sustainability. "Phenomenology of Race and Whiteness: Knowing, Feeling, and Experiencing the Vegan 'Exotic'". Forthcoming: MIT Press 2010. Dagbovie, Sika and Lewis, Nghana (editors) . bell hooks Critical Reader. “Decolonization of the Diet: A bell hooks Based Approach to Nutritional Liberation for At Risk Youth.” Forthcoming: SUNY Press 2010. Click here for more information. Teaching Experience 2008 Spring Quarter (Part Time) Teaching Assistant University of California, Davis. Davis, CA. • “American Studies 1E: Nature and Cultures.” Professor Julie Sze • Facilitating discussion sections and grading assignments 2008 Winter Quarter (Part time) Teacing Assistant University of California, Davis. Davis, CA. “Women’s Studies 50: Introduction to Women’s Studies”. Professor Wendy Ho Facilitating discussion sections and grading assignments. 2006 Co-Facilitator. “The Instantaneous Power of Choice: Snapping out of Negativity, Tapping into Possibility.” Winter Workshop Weekend. Deerfield, Massachusetts. December 1-3, 2006. Workshop: “Decolonizing the Diet to Combat Negativity.” http://www.Earthlands.org 2003 Mac OS X Teacher & IT Support Specialist (Part time temp). Harvard University. Cambridge, MA. Developed Mac OS X curriculum and taught employees about basic computer concepts and Mac OS X. 2002-2003 Computer Technology Instructor. CCTV. Cambridge, MA. Taught adults how to use Microsoft Word and cyberspace for the Family Computer Literacy Program. Research Clusters and Advisory Boards 2007-Present International Advisory Board. Institute for Critical Animal Studies. http://www.criticalanimalstudies.org/index.htm 2008-Present Critical Studies in Food and Culture. University of California, Davis. Davis, CA. http://people.lib.ucdavis.edu/dem/CSFC.html Talks and Forums 2007 Invited speaker. Princeton University. October 10, 2007. Panelist: “Is it appropriate to compare animal suffering with human suffering?” Responses to the PETA2 Animal Liberation project. 2007 Invited speaker. Beloit College. October 5, 2007. Lecture: “Exploring Decolonization of the Diet, Race, Speciesism, Racism and Justice.” 2007 Invited speaker. University of Pittsburgh. July 19, 2007. Lecture: “Race, Class, Food and YOU!” 2007 Invited speaker. University of Vermont. April 2007. Lecture: “Decolonizing the Diet and Eco-Sustainability.” 2007 Special Guest.Go Vegan Texas! Radio Show.KPFT Pacifica 90.1 FM. March 2007. Interview: “Sistah Vegans: Decolonizing Our Diets” http://www.govegantexas.org/ 2006 Interviewed for an article. Satya Magazine. “Cotton and Sugar” issue, March 2007. Interview: About the connections that food and health practices have to either dismantling or maintaining social and environmental injustice; the Sistah Vegan project. http://www.satyamag.com/mar07/harper.html 2006 Special Guest. R.O.A.R. Radio Show. WBAI 99.5 NYC. December 2006. http:://www.wbai.org/ An Interview about brainstorming effective strategies to teach about the connections that food and health have to dismantling social and environmental injustice. 2006 Special Guest. Women’s Collective Radio Show. WBAI 99.5 NYC. November 10, 2006. http://www.wbai.org/ Interview: “Black women using only plant-based diets to decolonize their bodies and the ecology.” http://archive.wbai.org/files/mp3/061109_110001tlm.MP3 2006 Invited collaborator. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning. October – November, 2006. http://community.macfound.org/ Forum Focusing on Racial and Ethnic Minority Youth: “Colorblindness Online / CyberHate & Gaming / E-Health.” 2006 Guest lecturer. UMass School of Public Health. Amherst, MA. October 17, 2006. Presentation: “Systemic Whiteness, Veganism & Perceptions of Thinness as ‘Normal’ & ‘Healthy’” for the graduate class, “Transnational Perspectives on Gender and Health.” 2006 Special Guest. Vegan Radio. October 12, 2006. Interview: “The Sistah Vegan Project.” http://www.veganradio.com/?num=24 2006 Panel lecturer. LEAD (Leadership Education and Development). Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College. July 2006. Panel topic: spoke about pursuing social justice careers in non-profits. http://www.tuck.dartmouth.edu/about/staff/lead.html 2006 Special Guest. Meeting of the Inner Circle Radio show. July 13, 2006. “The Sistah Vegan Project.” http://www.adamaspeaks.com/ 2006 Special Guest. Inner Light Radio Show. Los Angeles, CA. April 19. 2006. Interview: “Reflections on the N-Word and the Sistah Vegan Project.” http://brotherjamaal.com/home.htm 2006 Special Guest. Animal Voices. March 14, 2006. The Sistah Vegan Project. http://www.animalvoices.ca/shows/march14_2006 2003 Guest lecturer. Simmons College. Boston, MA. November 13, 2003. Presentation: “Understanding the Effects Institutionalized Racism on Black Females,” for the undergraduate class, “Introduction to Africana Studies.” Taught by Dr. Janie Ward. Conference Presentations 2007 2nd Annual Graduate Consortium in Women’s Studies Conference: “Beyond revolution or behind it? The Politics and Practice of Contemporary Feminism Across Academic and Activist Communities.” Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cambridge, Massachusetts. March 24, 2007. Presentation: “Getting beyond systemic whiteness in women’s and gender studies: a black female ontological lens.” 2006 1st Annual Graduate Consortium in Women’s Studies Conference: “Shifting Gender Identities in the Face of War, Globalization, and Natural Disaster.” Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cambridge, Massachusetts. March 31, 2006. Presentation: “Shrapnel in My Womb: Black Female Vegans and the [In]Visible War.” http://web.mit.edu/gcws/Grad_Conference/index_schedule.html Employment History 2009-2010 Graduate Student Research Mentor Fellowship (Pre-Doctoral). University of California, Davis. Davis, CA. Department: Geography Graduate Group. 2008 Summer-Fall Research Assistant University of California, Davis. Davis, CA. Department: Asian American Studies. • Supervisor: Professor Wendy Ho. • Food and Ethnicity Research. 2008 Teacher’s Assistant. University of California, Davis. Davis, CA. “Women’s Studies 50: Introduction to Women’s Studies”. Professor Wendy Ho (Winter 2008) “American Studies 1 E: Nature and Culture.” Professor Julie Sze (Spring 2008) Leading discussion sections and grading assignments. 2007 Fall Reader (Part Time). University of California, Davis. Davis, CA. Paper reader and grader for the CRD course, “Ethnicity and America.” Professor Laurie Lippin. 2007 Fall Graduate Research Assistant (Part Time). University of California, Davis. Davis, CA. “Interfaith HIV/AIDS Prevention in Nigeria” project. Dr. Adela de la Torre. 2005-2007 Data Manager (Full time). YouthBuild USA, Somerville, MA. *Implementation of technology into the Graduate and Youth Opportunities division for low-income ethnic youths to acquire leadership skills. *Researching how race, class and gender affect access to technology. *Research and design of an online Graduate Portal, in collaboration with YouthBuild youths, to support young graduate leaders of the YouthBuild program. *Supporting young people who want to use technology for youth advocacy, grassroots organizing, networking, and leadership development. 2004 Project Manager. (Full time contractor, 2 months) Biogen. Cambridge. MA. Prepared Biogen IDEC’s IT Security and Operations Change Control Department for the Sarbanes Oxley Law Audit by: *Taking sole responsibility of Critiquing all Change Control Records to comply to SOX (Sarbanes Oxley Law) *Brainstorming with management team to efficiently document SOX procedures for Change Control and contacting System Admins via e-mail to make sure their Change Control Record is compliant 2004 Advancement Assistant (Full time contract). Center for Astrophysics at Harvard. Development Office. Cambridge, MA *Researched prospective donors and wrote biographies about potential donors. 2003-2004 Faculty Assistant (Full time Contract). Harvard School of Education. *Supported organizational, research and computer technology needs for professor. *Researched information for the development of socially equal K-12 curriculum. *Conducted interview with local teachers to understand how educators perceive racism, sexism, and homophobia. 2003 IT Support Specialist (Part time temp). Harvard University. Cambridge, MA *Supported computer technology users in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences division, by: *Developing Mac OS X curriculum *Training employees to convert from Mac 9 operating system to Mac X operating system. 2003 Computer Lab Intern. (Part time volunteer) CCTV. Cambridge, MA *Supported the Cambridge community computer lab by helping users with computer application problems. 2002-2003 Computer Technology Instructor (volunteer). CCTV. Cambridge, MA. *Taught adults how to use computer technology for the Family Computer Literacy Program. *Taught Microsoft Word, Internet navigation and electronic email applications. *Use of Spanish and English languages. 2000-2001 Quality Assurance Specialist (Full time). Communispace. Watertown, MA. *Performed Manual and Regression testing of web based application on Unix, Mac and Windows 98. 2000 Software Quality Team Member (Full time contractor). iKena, Cambridge MA. *Tested web based software. 1998-1999 Deraventures Team Member. (Full time). DeraCom. Princeton, NJ. *Connected businesses to conference calls using computers. 1997-1998 Bohm Coster Public Policy Intern (15 hours a week). Dartmouth College. *Connected students to resources that support off-campus social justice internships. *Coordinated a speaker event that brought Stephanie Coontz as a speaker on the topic of families and U.S public policy. 1997-1998 Women’s Studies Teacher’s Assistant (Part time volunteer) *Led weekly group dialogues with students taking Women’s Studies Introductory class and corrected students’ papers. 1997 Library Assistant (Full time, summer). Dartmouth College. *Circulation desk team member. 1997 Summer Minority Business Executive Program Assistant Dartmouth *Assisted minority business participants with registration and other logistics. *Assisted teaching participants how to use computer technology to enhance their businesses. 1995-1997 Geography Department Research Assistant (15 hours a week) Dartmouth College. *Assisted Dr. Frances Ufkes by: *Teaching her students how to use statistical software. *Proofreading her research papers. *Using the Dartmouth library system to find articles and books for her projects. Home.htmlPapers.htmlSistah_Vegan.htmlhttp://groups.google.com/group/critical-race-theory-and-food-studies-research?lnk=gcimHarvard%20Masters.htmlContact_Me.htmlmailto:breezeharper@gmail.com?subject=http://breezeharper.tripod.com/researchSistah_Vegan.htmlhttp://breezeharper.tripod.com/foucault_heterosexist.pdfScars_Fiction_Book.htmlhttp://www.sistahveganproject.comBook_Chapter_Decolonizing_the_Diet.htmlhttp://www.Earthlands.orghttp://www.criticalanimalstudies.org/index.htmhttp://people.lib.ucdavis.edu/dem/CSFC.htmlhttp://www.govegantexas.org/http://www.satyamag.com/mar07/harper.htmlhttp://www.wbai.orghttp://www.wbai.orghttp://archive.wbai.org/files/mp3/061109_110001tlm.MP3http://community.macfound.orghttp://www.veganradio.com/?num=24http://www.tuck.dartmouth.edu/about/staff/lead.htmlhttp://www.adamaspeaks.comhttp://brotherjamaal.com/home.htmhttp://www.animalvoices.ca/shows/march14_2006http://web.mit.edu/gcws/Grad_Conference/index_schedule.htmlshapeimage_1_link_6shapeimage_1_link_7shapeimage_1_link_8shapeimage_1_link_9shapeimage_1_link_10shapeimage_1_link_11shapeimage_1_link_12shapeimage_1_link_13shapeimage_1_link_14shapeimage_1_link_15shapeimage_1_link_16shapeimage_1_link_17shapeimage_1_link_18shapeimage_1_link_19shapeimage_1_link_20shapeimage_1_link_21shapeimage_1_link_22shapeimage_1_link_23shapeimage_1_link_24shapeimage_1_link_25shapeimage_1_link_26shapeimage_1_link_27shapeimage_1_link_28