
Kimberly Akano is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Religion at Princeton University where she is also pursuing a certificate in African American Studies. Her research lies at the intersection of religion, race, and migration with a focus on the experiences of late nineteenth-century and twentieth-century African immigrant Christians living in the United States. Employing archival research and oral history methods, Kimberly examines the role of international education on the religious, racial, and political formation of African students studying at U.S. academic institutions, including historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Kimberly’s research has been supported by the Center for African American Studies and the Effron Center for the Study of America at Princeton, as well as the Forum for Theological Exploration. Previously, she worked with a non-profit organization that supported the community organizing work of local pastors and religious leaders in Minneapolis, MN. She earned her Master of Divinity at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Rice University.