Sharon Jessé Edwards

Dr. Sharon Jessé Edwards, of Mississippi, is a historian and scholar who explores the formation of HBCUs and educational centers in the late nineteenth century. Dr. Edwards traces themes of racial upliftment, education, social clubs/groups, Black women, Pan-Africanism, buildings, and erasure. She has published on Black education and criticality in venues like The Teachers College Record and the edited collection Using Culturally Relevant Practices to Support Student Achievement. She is committed to the study, preservation, and design of engaging and culturally relevant history curricula for students and teachers at varying levels. She’s also devoted to helping communities understand their culture and (re) connect with the experiences that shape them.

Dr. Edwards earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA, her Masters in Teaching History from Tufts University in Medford, MA and her Doctorate of Philosophy Degree in History with concentrations in US and Public History from Howard University. She joins Jackson State University’s College of Liberal Arts as well as the Margaret Walker Center as the 2026-2028 Andrew W. Mellon Visiting Scholar.