The Provost's Office announced that Paula Chakravartty would be appointed as a James Weldon Johnson Professor. Awardees are selected by a distinguished committee for the positive impact of their work on society.
A media scholar in the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication, with a dual appointment in the Gallatin School, Chakravartty's research focuses on racial capitalism and global media infrastructures, as well as migrant labor mobility and justice.
NYU established the James Weldon Johnson Professorships in 2020 to recognize faculty with impactful scholarship in the areas of social justice, inequality, criminal justice reform, and related topics. The Professorship offers $25,000 per year for three years in research support.
From a total cohort of 11 NYU faculty, Chakravartty is the second faculty member in the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication to receive this honor. Professor Nicole Fleetwood was named the inaugural James Weldon Johnson Professor in 2021.
The honor is named for NYU's first Black professor, James Weldon Johnson, a civil rights activist who was Executive Secretary of the NAACP. A writer, composer, politician, educator, lawyer, Johnson was one of the leading figures in the creation and development of the Harlem Renaissance.