Sandra Heard

I entered the AMST PhD program in 2003, and am currently writing a dissertation titled, “The ‘Bad’ Black Consumer: A Study of African-American Consumer Culture in Washington, D.C., 1910s – 1930s.” The project looks at the role that consumption played in developing black identity and disrupting organizing efforts in “black Washington” during the rise of Jim Crow. Before relocating to DC, I worked for seven years as an intern-architect and community development professional in one of the greatest, yet undervalued, cities in the US: Pittsburgh, PA. I also received a B/ARC from Mississippi State University’s School of Architecture in 1992 and a MTH in Black Liberation Theology from Xavier University of New Orleans, LA in 1998. I love the District and now live with my partner and two dogs in the city’s Brightwood neighborhood. If you’d like to chat, please email me at srheard@gwu.edu.