Anika Simpson, Ph.D.

2018 Welmore Cook Award

Anika Simpson, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Morgan State University. She serves as the coordinator of MSU’s Women’s and Gender Studies program, which was established under her leadership in 2009. She is also the co-chair of MSU President David Wilson’s LGBTQA Advisory Council. A graduate of Spelman College, Dr. Simpson is deeply committed to the mission of historically black colleges and universities: providing rigorous and nurturing educational experiences for every student, including the ones society has marginalized and excluded.

As a queer Black feminist, Dr. Simpson supports and advances racial equality, women’s rights, and LGBTQ equality through advocacy, education, and scholarship. She has successfully fostered institutional change around LGBTQ diversity through the cultivation of partnerships with leaders both at Morgan State and within local and national organizations focused on LGBTQ advocacy.

During her tenure as coordinator, the Women’s and Gender Studies program launched its biannual Intersections conference, with the express goals of supporting academic scholarship in the field of sexuality studies and modeling inclusive spaces for LGBTQ constituents at HBCUs. Morgan State is the only HBCU to convene a recurring conference that focuses exclusively upon the intersections of sexuality studies, race and gender.

Dr. Simpson speaks regularly at local and national conferences and promotes awareness of social justice issues through media appearances. Her publications focus on black feminism, African American philosophy, and sexuality, and include “Black Philosophy and the Erotic” in The Black Scholar and “Race and Feminist Standpoint Theory” in Convergences: Black Feminism and Continental Philosophy.

Dr. Simpson lives in Washington, DC with her two daughters.

February 2018