​Joshua Newman is a first-year M.A. student in the Department of Africana Studies. Joshua
received his B.S. from Hampton University studying criminal justice. Though he studied criminal justice,
Joshua has involved himself heavily in the analytical histories and sociological studies of people of
African descent. Joshua’s research interests include, African cultural and political histories, African
diasporic studies, analytical studies of the Black Liberation Movement, Blackness in Islam, Black
nationalism, comparative political studies of contemporary and historical social movements, labor
movements, Pan-Africanism, political science, and sociology.

Joshua is involved in community organizing near his hometown of Washington, D.C. He has
experience holding political education sessions, organizing community events and surveying
communities. Joshua has also traveled outside of the United States. He has visited Ghana twice where he has
lectured on the historical connections between the African liberation struggle on the continent and the
civil rights movement in the United States. Joshua also worked to build coalitions between HBCUs and African-based Universities.

In the summer of 2022, Joshua gained experience interning with the non-profit Friends of the
Congo, based in Washington, D.C. Joshua had the opportunity to study the history of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, address human rights concerns and publish articles on the social and political
situations happening in the Congo.