Working Paper Series

About the Working Paper Series

The Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership's Working Paper Series examines issues related to women, gender, and sexuality with a particular focus on the Black experience. It provides a platform for scholars working on issues from all disciplines to share research on a broad range of topics such as science and technology, health, politics and public policy, law, social justice, business and entrepreneurship, medicine, environmental justice and climate, diversity and inclusion, arts and the humanities. These working papers are pre-published articles, research notes or reports with preliminary findings that the author(s) want to share with the community for feedback.

Working Paper Series Archive

Report: Diversifying Foreign Service: US Black Women in Diplomacy

AUTHOR(S): Constance Pruitt and J. Jarpa Dawuni

There is an overwhelming lack of diversity in US-appointed ambassadorships to both countries and international organizations. As data shows, there is a deficit of women among high-ranking Foreign Service positions such as ambassadorships as well as Black women in senior positions in the US diplomatic corp. This report is based on the article,  "Representation and Inclusion in Democracy: A Closer Look at Black Women Ambassadors" in SAIS Review of International Affairs.

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Reflections on the Women’s Empowerment Lab: Women Entrepreneurs in Ghana

AUTHOR(S): Mouhamadou M. Hoyeck

The Women’s Empowerment Lab  (WEL) was an opportunity for women entrepreneurs in Ghana and the diaspora to gain insights into the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). This paper reports on the WEL, which aimed to increase awareness among women entrepreneurs about AfCFTA and AGOA and provide insights on the U.S. government and the Government of Ghana's tools to support them.

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Brief Communication: Gloria Naylor, Ann Petry, and ‘Black Feminist Regard’

AUTHOR(S): Jennifer Williams

This short essay argues that Gloria Naylor and Ann Petry's correspondence and fiction demonstrate an ethics and aesthetics of Black feminist regard. I examine their archives for letters they exchanged, publication materials Naylor provided for the reissue of Petry’s The Street, and Petry’s journal entries that reference Naylor. A chapter based on this project will be published in an edited anthology on the life and writings of Gloria Naylor which will be published in 2023.

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Trade, Investment and Women’s Entrepreneurship

AUTHOR(S): Tingting Xiong and Nyanya Browne

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Are Black Student-Parents Alright?: Stories of Stigma, Motivation, and Legacy-Building at Howard University

AUTHOR(S): Nicole D. Jenkins and Bahiyyah M. Muhammad

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Counter-narratives: An Oral History Project

AUTHOR(S): Carolyn Malachi

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