Ayaan Natala
Black Feminist Scholar & Public Historian
Ayaan amplifies and archives Black stories, including her own, through research, teaching, and community projects.
Ayaan Natala is a Ph.D. candidate in American Studies at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. She specializes in African American and African diaspora studies, race and inequality, Black feminism, and contemporary social movements.
She was raised by a South-side Chicagoan mother and Zambian father in Minnesota (Mni Sota), also known as Ojibwe/Dakota land. She is a proud Saint Paul Central High School and Macalester College alum. Aside from academics, Ayaan is passionate about health and wellness, nature, and creating a soundtrack for her next travel adventure.
The Approach
Research
Since 2014, Minneapolis, Minnesota has been a key site of Black Lives Matter (BLM) organizing. While scholars have begun to document the Movement for Black Lives and the 2020 Minneapolis uprisings, Ayaan’s research examines Minnesota from the perspective of Black Minnesotan’s history, social lives, and emancipatory visions. In 2023, she was awarded the Mellon/American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Dissertation Innovation Fellowship. Currently, she is studying policing with the Mellon Foundation Sawyer Seminar. Ayaan will present her work at the 2024 National Women Studies Conference (NWSA) with scholars and community members.
Teaching
Ayaan’s passion for life-long learning and teaching takes her across the Twin Cities and the world. In and outside academia, she facilitates, teaches, and shares insights from her work about social justice. She supports initiatives to launch Global Black Lives Matter study abroad experiences in the United Kingdom and Brazil. She is creating a “Welcome to Black Minnesota” course for Macalester College.
Community-Based Projects
Ayaan supports community members and different stakeholders on projects that aim to study, research, and improve the material conditions of Black Minnesotans. She is a part of the Black Midwest Initiative and the Long Fire on Lake & Minnehaha oral history project.
For more details, see her CV.
Be a part of her dissertation and community organizing.
Ayaan is looking to interview Black Minnesotans open to speaking about their experiences in the state, community organizing, and their observations/participation in Black Lives Matter Minneapolis organizing.
If you are open to sharing, please book a time to schedule an interview or reach out with any questions.
Bring Back 6th Street! Mobile Museum
The Bring Back 6th! Mobile Museum graduate project emerged to memorialize and commemorate Old Near North, a former Black & Jewish neighborhood. While the theme of the exhibit was displacement, the Bring Back 6th Mobile Museum spoke to historical urgency, confronting the legacy of the Federal Highway Act of 1956 on communities of color, and ways to connect research with community organizing. This project was awarded the 2024 National Public History Group Project Award.
Case Studies
Lorrain Hansberry’s Touring Sculpture Makes Its Way to (South) Minneapolis
Alison Saar’s To Sit A While installation honoring Lorrain Hansberry came to South Minneapolis in 2022. Working with Pillsbury House Theater, Ayaan created community events and a digital exhibit to supplement the experience, which launched at a block party in South Minneapolis to celebrate.
Support Central High School Scholarships!
Ayaan is a proud Saint Paul Central High School alum. Her family created a scholarship in honor of a loved one who passed away from COVID-19. Support the Natala Family Scholarship, Valerie Castile’s Philando Castile Memorial Scholarship, and others giving back to BIPOC students.
Contact
Ayaan is available for speaking engagements, facilitating workshops, consulting, and creating educational content/tools. Email her to stay connected and build.