Stephanie Sulik successfully defends her dissertation

Tuesday, Dec 08, 2020

The Department of History is delighted to announce that Dr. Stephanie Sulik successfully defended her dissertation on Monday, November 30! Dr. Sulik’s dissertation, “"Waving the Red, Black, and Green: The Local and Global Vision of Universal Negro Improvement Association in Akron and Barberton, Ohio," is the culmination of years of hard work. An investigation of the role of the Universal Negro Improvement Association in Ohio, the dissertation includes new insights into the roles of local members of the UNIA; how these men and women linked global UNIA policy to local anti-racist initiatives; and how the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company’s lease of one million acres for rubber extraction and processing in Liberia brought an end to the UNIA’s dreams of founding a black republic in Africa.

In addition to her dissertation and teaching responsibilities, during her tenure as a doctoral student, she curated an exhibit at the University of Akron in the summer of 2019, also titled “Waving the Red, Black, and Green.” Congratulations, Dr. Sulik!