Naya Jones
Naya Jones
Naya Jones, PhD (she/her/hers) is a critical geographer and cultural worker. Her solo projects and her collaborative work with community organizations lift up Black geographies of food, health, and healing. With an emphasis on North and Latin America, each of these highlight Black ecological knowledge. Jones devotes particular attention to how these geographies are situated and embodied in everyday life. She explores arts-based methods, from participatory film to performance. Her current book project foregrounds African-American plant knowledge and the Great Migration. Prior to returning to academe, Jones consulted for BIPOC-led organizations as they reclaimed and reimagined ancestral healing ways. Her “roots” as a Blaxicana inspire her commitment to collective liberation work within and beyond the academy. Her writing and art has been published in academic journals, creative magazines, and edited volumes. She is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Santa Cruz, where she is also Core Faculty in the Global and Community Health Program. Visit her virtual home at www.nayajones.com.