Graduate Student
Biography
Steven is a PhD student studying 20th century US history. His research focuses on race, class, and labor within environmental state-building projects.
His MA thesis, “Urban Renewal in Asheville: A History of Racial Segregation and Black Activism,” utilizes Asheville, NC as a case study to explore how earlier local and federal policies influenced urban renewal in the 1960s and 1970s. Throughout, he illuminates how Asheville’s African-American residents navigated and altered the city’s political landscape, one constructed by a white political and commercial elite, to have their voices heard and concerns addressed.
Research Interests
20th Cent. U.S. History - Race, Class, Labor, & Environment
Education
BA, History & Political Science, Rutgers University
MA, History, Western Carolina University