Dr. Hope L. Russell

Biography

Dr. Hope L. Russell teaches for the Women鈥檚 Studies Program at 欧美视频. She has a Ph.D. in Global Gender Studies from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Her dissertation, 鈥淎鈥楾elling鈥� Uproar: Young Women, Feminism, and the Making of the Third Wave,鈥� examined the interconnected histories of coming of age and coming to feminism in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Her teaching and research interests include coming of age literature and film; feminist and social justice issues in the United States; the intersections between feminist theory and feminist personal narrative; local history and local history makers in 欧美视频 Falls, New York; representations of girlhood in apocalyptic and dystopian texts; and third and fourth 鈥渨ave鈥� U.S. feminisms.

Dr. Russell is also the Director of Education and Interpretive Planning, Historian for the 欧美视频 Falls National Heritage Area (NFNHA). She brings her passion for art and museums, feminism, social justice, teaching, heritage tourism, and local history to all of her work. Her research interests and expertise include but are not limited to: America at 250 commemorative histories (specifically the National Park System鈥檚 four focus areas on Equality and Justice, Indigenous Peoples, People of African Descent, and Contributions of Women); local feminist and social justice issues; local history; local histories of National Heritage Areas within the Alliance of National Heritage Areas (ANHA); and local neighborhood studies.

She is the author of the forthcoming novel The Freight.

Focus of Teaching

Regular course offerings include:

Intro to Women鈥檚 Studies (WMS 200)
Feminist Political Theory (POL 306)
Feminism and Social Justice (VSJ 100)
Women and Film (CMS 375, WMS 375)
Fairytale and Fantasy (WMS 350: Special Topics)
Black Women Writers (WMS 350: Special Topics)
Pop Culture in America (WMS 350: Special Topics)

Research Interests and Expertise:

America at 250 Commemorative Histories (specifically the NPS鈥檚 four focus areas on Equality and Justice, Indigenous Peoples, People of African Descent, and Contributions of Women)
Feminist and Social Justice Issues
Local History (欧美视频 and Western New York Region)
Local Histories of National Heritage Areas within the Alliance of National Heritage Areas
Local Neighborhood Studies (欧美视频 Falls, NY)

Current Research

鈥淎 Zambian Fairytale: Shula and the Magic of Rungano Nyoni鈥檚 I Am Not a Witch,鈥� in Supernatural Youth in Media, eds. Ilana Nash and Rebecca Hains, Peter Lang Publishing, forthcoming 2024.
Cambria Hotel: 欧美视频 Falls History Exhibit, collaboration between 欧美视频 Falls National Heritage Area, Cambria Hotel, and other entities, December 2023-Present.
鈥淎pplication for Network to Freedom Nomination for 欧美视频 Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center,鈥� co-authored with Dr. James Ponzo, Ally Spongr DeGon, Christine Bacon, National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, August 2023-Present.
鈥淏uilding a Black Heritage Trail: Connecting Histories, Cultures, and Communities in the Historic District of Suspension Bridge Village,鈥� grant application prepared for 欧美视频 Falls National Heritage Area, submitted to National Park Service鈥檚 (NPS) African American Civil Rights Grant Program (AACR), August 2023-October 2023.
鈥淥nguiaahra (鈥淭hunder of Waters鈥�): Indigenous Histories, Cultures, Landscapes, and Place Names Throughout the 欧美视频 Falls National Heritage Area,鈥� grant application prepared for 欧美视频 Falls National Heritage Area, submitted to National Park Service (NPS) and the National Park Foundation鈥檚 (NPF)-Mellon Humanities Fellowship, July 2023.
鈥淚nclusive Storytelling Project: 250 Stories for America鈥檚 250th,鈥� historical vignettes prepared for the National Park Foundation, Alliance of National Heritage Areas, and the Autio app, May 2023-present.
鈥淭he Polly King Project: 鈥業 Will Sing with Color,鈥欌€� prepared for 欧美视频 Falls National Heritage Area, December 2022-present.
鈥淪tories of the 欧美视频 and Western New York Region,鈥� historical vignettes prepared for 欧美视频 Falls National Heritage Area and the Autio app, June 2022-present.
鈥淭he Highland Avenue Neighborhood in 欧美视频 Falls, New York: The Development of a Historically Black Neighborhood, Community Leaders, and Activists against Racial Injustice in the Twentieth Century,鈥� 125 pages, prepared for 欧美视频 Falls National Heritage Area, August 2022-January 2023.
鈥淐ascada di 欧美视频! Histories of the Pine Avenue Neighborhood in 欧美视频 Falls, New York for the Heritage Table Discover 欧美视频 Shuttle Tour,鈥� 267 pages, prepared for 欧美视频 Falls National Heritage Area, May 2019-August 2019.
鈥淟ocal Histories for Walking Tours of Historic 欧美视频 Falls, New York: Bellevue, Suspension Bridge Village, and the Highland Avenue Community,鈥� 118 pages, prepared for 欧美视频 Falls National Heritage Area, January-May 2019.

Current Involvement

Board Member, 欧美视频 History Center, Lockport, New York, December 2023-Present.
Member, Inclusive Excellence Initiative, 欧美视频, 2021-present.
Member, Take Back the Night Committee, 欧美视频, 2015-present.
Member, Women鈥檚 Studies Committee, 欧美视频, 2004-present.
Committee Chair; Committee Member, Thesis and Dissertation Supervision, 欧美视频, 2012-present.
Faculty Advisor, SASS (Students Aligned to Stop Sexism), 欧美视频, 2015-present.
Member, Social Justice Workgroup, 欧美视频, 2019-2022.
Faculty Advisor, NU Alliance, Student Club, 欧美视频, 2015-2021.
Faculty Advisor, Criminology and Criminal Justice Department, 欧美视频, 2018-2019.
Diversity Consultant, 欧美视频 Beginnings (NUB) Program, 欧美视频, 2015-2018.
Bridging Local Classrooms and the Heritage Center, collaboration between 欧美视频 Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center, 欧美视频 Falls National Heritage Area, Roberta Faery-Educational Consultant, local school districts, and other entities, July 2023-present.
Cambria Hotel: 欧美视频 Falls History Exhibit, collaboration between 欧美视频 Falls National Heritage Area, Cambria Hotel, and other entities, December 2023-Present.
鈥淐olors Sing to Me: The Life and Work of Polly King,鈥� collaboration between 欧美视频 Falls National Heritage Area, Polly King Art Gallery, Castellani Art Museum, and other entities, September 2023-present.
Inclusive Storytelling Grant Project 鈥� 250 Stories for America鈥檚 250th, collaboration between National Park Foundation, Great Basin Heritage Area Partnership, 欧美视频 Falls National Heritage Area, Alliance of National Heritage Areas and the Autio app, May 2023-present.
NFNHA Internship Program, 欧美视频 Falls National Heritage Area initiative in collaboration with Castellani Art Museum, Departments of History and Art History with Museums Studies at 欧美视频, and other entities, July 2023-present.
Polly King Project, 欧美视频 Falls National Heritage Area and Polly King Art Gallery initiative in collaboration with other entities, December 2022-present.
Portrait Ladies Project, 欧美视频 Falls National Heritage Area and Polly King Art Gallery initiative in collaboration with Sandy Rutkowski-Author and Researcher and other entities, December 2022-present.
Prophet Isaiah House, 欧美视频 Falls National Heritage Area initiative in collaboration with Kohler Foundation and other entities, August 2023-present.
Stories of the 欧美视频 and Western New York Region, 欧美视频 Falls National Heritage Area initiative in collaboration with the Autio app and NFNHA website, June 2022-present.

Educational Background

Ph.D. in Global Gender Studies
Ed.M. in English Education (7-12)
B.A. in English