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Dr. Frazier is a Black feminist ecocritic—writing, researching, and teaching at the intersection of Black feminist theory and environmental thought. As founder and chief creative officer at Ask An Amazon, she designs educational tools, curates community gatherings, gives lectures, and offers consulting services that serve Black Feminist Fuel for Sustainable Futures. She is also a Faculty Fellow in the Cornell University Department of English, and in the fall of 2021, she’ll begin her tenure-track appointment as an Assistant Professor of African American Literature.
Dr. Frazier received her Ph.D from the Department of African American Studies at Northwestern University. Additionally, she received her Master of Arts from the Department of African American Studies at Northwestern, her Master of Arts from the American Studies program at Purdue University, and her Bachelor of Arts from the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Barnard College.
Her scholarship, teaching, and public speaking span the fields of Black feminist literature and theory, visual culture, ecocriticism and the broader environmental humanities, political theory, science and technology studies, and Afrofuturism.
In what ways does nature inspire or inform your work?
I draw strength and power from forces that we often call “nature” in order to develop theories and tell stories about the existence of and various hindrances to Black womens’ ecological healing.
What does it mean to you to be part of a thriving ecosystem?
Being a part of a thriving ecosystem means understanding that everything is connected to and a reflection of everything and it is our job and sentient beings to align our ethics, behaviors, and ideas with that undeniable fact.
