Katrinell M. Davis

Biography

Katrinell Davis, Ph.D., earned her doctorate in Sociology from the University of California in 2008. Dr. Davis is a Professor of Sociology and Director of the interdisciplinary African American Studies Program at Florida State University. She is a social change scholar inspired by the struggles of working-class people in urban areas who contend with extraordinary socioeconomic constraints, despite their best efforts. Through her teaching and scholarship, Davis explores how racial, gender and class biases as well as institutional constraints shape the accessibility of quality neighborhood resources and how social groups and/or communities navigate existing hurdles. Her first book, Hard Work is Not Enough (UNC Press 2017), captures how the workplace experiences of African American women who secured access to well-paying bus operating positions in the 1970s were undermined by disparate employment practices and declines in job quality. Davis’ most recent work focuses on the origins and health consequences of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan (Tainted Tap, UNC Press, 2021).