Current Sociology PhD Students

Sociology

Upon graduating from St. John’s College, Sarah moved home to Richmond, VA to work as an art conservator. After years in conservation, she began a career in the non-profit sector in various parts of the U.S. and also internationally, eventually translating that into a Master’s degree in conflict analysis and resolution, which she received in 2014. 

Sarah is currently a PhD candidate in the Sociology Department. Her dissertation examines the social histories of four prominent monuments in Richmond over a 130-year period in order to understand changing conceptions of race and power, along with the forces which shape our civic health and democracy. She suggests that by tracking the debates about race and monuments that Richmond has been conducting over the past 130 years one can learn how inherited racial logics and undemocratic structures (and their economic underpinnings) aid in the persistence of racism and inequality.

Sarah is a regular volunteer for organizations which work to make Richmond a more equitable city, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the ACLU of Virginia.