Biography

Dr. Anika Simpson is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at Howard University. She is also Founding Director of Black Queer Everything, an initiative funded by the Mellon Foundation that invests in the next generation of scholars, activists, and artists working toward Black liberation. Dr. Simpson has dedicated the majority of her career to teaching at Historically Black Universities, where she has invested in the work of institution building.

Dr. Simpson’s forthcoming book Single Black Mother: Queer Reflections on Marriage and Racial Justice (Oxford University Press, 2025) deploys a queer Black feminist lens to illuminate the multiple vectors of harm, inclusive of material, moral, and political harms, that serve to undermine the freedom of unmarried Black mothers. This organizing focus encapsulates Dr. Simpson’s research interests in Black feminist philosophy, Queer Theory, and the Philosophy of Gender, Race, and Sexuality.

A graduate of Spelman College, Dr. Simpson is deeply committed to supporting and advancing racial justice, gender justice, and LGBTQ+ equity through advocacy and education. Dr. Simpson’s work is an expression of her firm commitment to making a difference in the lives of her students and institutions that are devoted to communities of color.