Sonja N. Woods
Silver Spring,USA
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
Historian & Head of Research Services
Moorland-Spingarn Research Center (MSRC) at Howard University
Washington, D.C.
09.2025 - Current
University Archivist
Moorland-Spingarn Research Center (MSRC) at Howard University
Washington, D.C.
05.2022 - 09.2025
Archivist
Moorland-Spingarn Research Center (MSRC) at Howard University
Washington, D.C.
03.2016 - 05.2022
Digitization Technician
DoubleBack Productions, LLC
Washington, D.C.
03.2014 - 03.2016
- Part-Time
University Archives Collections Processor
Moorland-Spingarn Research Center (MSRC) at Howard University
Washington, D.C.
05.2013 - 03.2016
- Part-Time
Manuscript Collections Processor
Moorland-Spingarn Research Center (MSRC) at Howard University
Washington, D.C.
07.2012 - 08.2012
- Part-Time
Education
Ph.D. student - African History and African Diaspora History
Howard University
03-2016
M.A. - History
North Carolina Central University
05-2009
B.A. - English Literature
North Carolina Central University
05-1995
Skills
- Historical analysis
- Excellent oral and written communication
- Primary source interpretation
- Teaching history
- Historical consulting
- Genealogical research
- Archival research
- Research and data collection
Affiliations
- Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Inc. (AAHGS)
- Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)
- Association of Black Women Historians (ABWH)
- Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC)
- Society of American Archivists (SAA)
Timeline
Historian & Head of Research Services
Moorland-Spingarn Research Center (MSRC) at Howard University
09.2025 - Current
University Archivist
Moorland-Spingarn Research Center (MSRC) at Howard University
05.2022 - 09.2025
Archivist
Moorland-Spingarn Research Center (MSRC) at Howard University
03.2016 - 05.2022
Digitization Technician
DoubleBack Productions, LLC
03.2014 - 03.2016
University Archives Collections Processor
Moorland-Spingarn Research Center (MSRC) at Howard University
05.2013 - 03.2016
Manuscript Collections Processor
Moorland-Spingarn Research Center (MSRC) at Howard University
07.2012 - 08.2012
M.A. - History
North Carolina Central University
B.A. - English Literature
North Carolina Central University
Ph.D. student - African History and African Diaspora History
Howard University
PRESENTATIONS, LECTURES, WORKSHOPS, DOCUMENTARIES, AND EXHIBITS
- “MSRC Orientation & Museum Tour for Operation Capital City Leadership & Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program” Presentation in collaboration with Howard University Prof. Fatou Sow, MSRC Reading Room, June 11, 2026
- “MSRC Orientation for Howard University Pre-PhD Summer Enrichment Program” Presentation in collaboration Howard University Prof. Patrice Wright, MSRC Reading Room, May 29, 2026
- “The Student Bus Protest That Challenged Jim Crow” Researcher-participant as Howard Historian in Northern Virginia Parks (NOVA) documentary, released on May 14, 2026
- “Birth of a New Nation: The Founding of Howard University” Guest as Howard Historian on MSRC Podcast, On the Yard, Broadcast Release, April 16, 2026
- “Archives & Memory Work for Struggle” Presentation in collaboration with Latrese Johnson for the Kwame Ture Society’s Remembering Africa for Pan-Africanism Week, MSRC Reading Room, April 9, 2026
- “MSRC Orientation for Introduction to History” Presentation in collaboration Howard University Prof. Ashley Preston, MSRC Reading Room, April 2, 2026
- “MSRC Orientation & Museum Tour for Howard University Graduate Student Council” Presentation in collaboration HU GSC Vice-President Itale Watie, MSRC Reading Room, March 27, 2026
- “MSRC Orientation and Workshop for Persuasive Writing” Presentation in collaboration Howard University Prof. Kimberly Collins, MSRC Reading Room, March 27, 2026
- “MSRC Orientation for Scholarship Research Methods” Archival presentation in collaboration Howard University Prof. Krista Johnson, MSRC Reading Room, March 18, 2026
- “MSRC Orientation and Workshop for Persuasive Writing” Presentation in collaboration Howard University Prof. Nico Penaranda, MSRC Reading Room, February 27, 2026
- “Birth of a New Nation: The Founding of Howard University” Guest as Howard Historian on MSRC Podcast, On the Yard, Broadcast Release, February 26, 2026
- “The First Black President: Mordecai Wyatt Johnson” Guest as Howard Historian on MSRC Podcast, On the Yard, Broadcast Release, February 9, 2026
- “History of the Howard University School of Education” Speaker for Association of Teacher Education (ATE) Conference Attendees, Miner Building/School of Education, February 6, 2026
- “Moorland-Spingarn Research Center & My Archives Journey” Guest as Howard Historian on Black Girls in Archives Podcast, Office Hours, Live Broadcast, January 28, 2026
- “MSRC Orientation for Scholarship Research Methods” Archival presentation in collaboration Howard University Prof. Yasmin DeGout, MSRC Reading Room, October 17, 2025
- “MSRC Orientation for Afro-America Since 1877” Presentation in collaboration Howard University Prof. Frederick Knight, MSRC Reading Room, October 15, 2025
- “MSRC Orientation and Workshop for Freshman Expository Writing & Literature” Archival presentation in collaboration Howard University Prof. Nico Penaranda to complete final paper on historic buildings on campus, MSRC Reading Room, October 1, 2025
- “MSRC Orientation for History of Higher Education (ELPS 640)” Presentation in collaboration Howard University Prof. Melanie Carter, MSRC Reading Room, September 30, 2025
- “MSRC Orientation and Workshop for Freshman Expository Writing & Literature” Archival presentation in collaboration Howard University Prof. Nico Penaranda to complete final paper on historic buildings on campus, MSRC Reading Room, September 29, 2025
- “MSRC Orientation for the Annenberg Honors Junior Research Seminar (CHON 300)” Presentation in collaboration with Howard University Prof. Fatou Sow, UGL-G023, September 18, 2025
- “MSRC Orientation for the Annenberg Honors Sophomore Research Seminar (CHON 200)” Presentation in collaboration with Howard University Prof. Beylul Russom, UGL-G023, September 16, 2025
- “Forever, Always: The Black Love Exhibit” Curators’ Consultant, as Howard University Archivist, for MSRC Breezeway Exhibit, February-September 2025
- “Since 1924: The Howard Homecoming Centennial Exhibit” Curators’ Consultant, as Howard University Archivist, for MSRC Breezeway Exhibit, October-December 2024
- “Archives Research and Collaborative History (ARCH) Program – Intentional Approach to Inclusion and Diversity in the Archives Profession” Panel Moderator at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC), Wilmington, DE, October 13, 2018
- “An Introduction to Moorland-Spingarn Research Center for English Department Graduate Students” Workshop in collaboration with Howard University English Prof. Yasmin Y. DeGout, Moorland-Spingarn Reading Room, September 27, 2018
- “Africana Archives: An Introduction to Moorland-Spingarn Research Center for Howard University’s Mandela-Washington Fellows of 2018” Information session and tour coordinated by Program Manager Lucinda Acquaye, Founders Library & Howard University School of Social Work, July 5, 2018
- “An Introduction to Moorland-Spingarn Research Center for Howard University Orientation Leaders” Workshop on Moorland-Spingarn’s history, mission, and resources coordinated by Program Assistant Brandon D. Brown, Academic Support Building B, June 21, 2018
- “Three African American Poets at Howard University: Document Analysis at Moorland-Spingarn Research Center for Archbishop Carroll High School Students” Workshop and Tour coordinated by Matthew Briggs and Elana Gilmore, Moorland-Spingarn Reading Room, March 28, 2018
- “An Introduction to Moorland-Spingarn Research Center for the History of Higher Education Graduate Students” Guest Lecture coordinated by Howard University Education Leadership and Policy Studies Prof. Dr. Danilo J. DeSousa, School of Communications, November 13, 2017
- “Africa and the Caribbean at Moorland-Spingarn Research Center” MSRC Sesquicentennial Workshop Series installment with special guest speaker, Dr. Joseph E. Harris, Prof. Emeritus of Howard University History Department, Moorland-Spingarn Reading Room, October 11, 2017
- “The Professionalization of Africana Historical Study” Panel Participant – “The Global Impact of Howard University’s Department of History,” Howard University’s Founders Library, October 11, 2017
- “Africana Archives: An Introduction to Moorland-Spingarn Research Center for Howard University’s Mandela-Washington Fellows of 2017” Guest lecture and presentation, Howard University School of Business, June 27, 2017
- “The Heart and Soul of Howard University: Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel and Social Justice” Banner Exhibit co-created with Digital Production Manager Dr. Lopez Matthews as a contribution to the larger Howard University Sesquicentennial commemoration entitled “If These Walls Could Speak: The Role of Rankin Chapel in the History, Life, and Culture of the Mecca,” displayed at Founders Library & Rankin Chapel, beginning April 23, 2017
- “Human Rights, Civil Rights, and Black Lawyers: Collections and Resources at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center” MSRC Sesquicentennial Workshop Series installment with special guest speaker, Dr. Gregory K. Carr, Chair of Howard University Afro-American Studies Department, Moorland-Spingarn Reading Room, April 4, 2017
- “Howardiana: Moorland-Spingarn’s Collection on Howard University” MSRC Sesquicentennial Workshop Series installment with MSRC Staff, Moorland-Spingarn Reading Room, February 11, 2017
- “Howard University Crew: Give Credit Where Credit is Due, 1961-72” Panel Participant – “Credit Where Credit is Due: Community Building, Black Work and White Patronage,” Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), 101st Annual Meeting and Conference, Richmond, Virginia, October 5-9, 2016
- “HBCUs and the Cultivation of African Leadership” Lecture Presentation to the 2016 Cohort of Mandela-Washington Fellows at Howard University, June 23, 2016
- “HBCUs and the Cultivation of African Leadership” Lecture Presentation to the 2015 Cohort of Mandela-Washington Fellows at Howard University, June 25, 2015
- “Race, Diversity, and Inequality: The Civil Rights and Anti-Apartheid Movements” Presentation to the South Africa-Washington International Program (SAWIP) Fellows in recognition of the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, July 7, 2014
- “Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the Cultivation of African Leadership” Lecture Presentation to President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI)-Howard University Fellows, June 19, 2014
- “Mandela the Statesman: Developing a New Nation” Panel Participant – “A Mandela Day Symposium,” Howard University’s Founders Library, February 11, 2014
- “April, Not June: Why African-American Emancipation Should Be Celebrated in the Month of April” Panel Title – “Juneteenth in the African American Imagination II,” Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), 98th Annual Convention, Jacksonville, Florida, October 2-6, 2013
- “The Legacy and Mentoring of Dr. Sylvia Marie Jacobs” Panel Participant – Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), 98th Annual Convention, Jacksonville, Florida, October 2-6, 2013
- “In Honor of Nelson Mandela” Exhibit curated in commemoration of Nelson Mandela’s 95th birthday, Moorland Spingarn Research Center, Howard University’s Founders Library, Washington, D.C., July 19, 2013
- “Network to Freedom During the Civil War” Lead Researcher of Exhibit with African American Civil War Museum Curator Hari Jones, 2013 National Underground Railroad Conference, Little Rock, Arkansas, June 19-22, 2013
- “The Role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the Civil Rights and Anti-Apartheid Movements” Presentation to South African study abroad participants in the South Africa-Washington Internship Program (SAWIP) in celebration of South African Youth Day, University of the District of Columbia, June 15, 2013
- “Emancipation Day Parades in the District of Columbia” Workshop Title – “Emancipation in Washington, D.C.: The Eye of Freedom,” 151st Anniversary of D.C. Emancipation Day in the District of Columbia, D.C. Council Chambers, April 16, 2013
- “Emancipation Day Parades in the District of Columbia” Session Title – “New Paradigms and Research on Emancipation in the District of Columbia,” 39th Annual Conference on D.C. Historical Studies, Martin Luther King Library, Washington, D.C., October 18-21, 2012
- “The Life and Legacy of Madie B. Hall-Xuma: North Carolina to South Africa” Panel Title – “Creative Resistance: African American Women Opening Restricted Spaces and Effecting Lasting Social Change,” Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), 97th Annual Convention, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 26-30, 2012
- “The Impact of the Congressional Black Caucus on the Anti-Apartheid Movement” Avoice Anti-Apartheid Act Student Workshop at the National Archives, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, 41st Annual Legislative Conference, Washington, D.C., September 21-24, 2011
- “The Bight of Biafra in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade: African Agents and Victims at Old Calabar, 1726-1775” Howard University, Graduate Research Symposium, Washington, D.C., April 4, 2011
CONTRACT RESEARCH PROJECTS
- “America’s Voices Against Apartheid,” exhibition produced by the Howard University Republic of South Africa Project (HURSAP) & the Sister States of Maryland. This exhibit debuted in May 2023 at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg (South Africa) and held its U.S. Opening in the Hall of Nations at the Kennedy Center, September 14 – November 5, 2023.
- “The Lessons of Hayti,” documentary film produced by Byron Hunter and Edward J. Harris, Jr. of ALVA Pictures. This one-hour piece examines Black political-economic success in America by focusing on the late nineteenth century rise and mid-1960s destruction of Hayti, a self-sufficient African American community in Durham, North Carolina. (2012-2013)
- “Conceptual pieces on Trails and Passageways in relation to the African Diaspora” for Dr. Joseph E. Harris, Professor Emeritus, Howard University Department of History. The assignment was to search for recent publications that may address theoretical issues concerning the African Diaspora as an emergence of migratory cultural patterns. (March 2013)
- “American Corporations with Financial Investments in Ghana” for Dr. Charles D. Johnson, Associate Professor, Howard University Department of History. The assignment was to create a database of U.S. corporations doing business in Ghana with information on type of industry, total investments and profits, and contact personnel. (August 2011)
- “Stokely Carmichael/Kwame Ture materials in Moorland Spingarn Research Center” for Dr. Quito Swan, Assistant Professor, Howard University Department of History. The assignment was to document references to, photographs of, articles about, and writings by Stokely Carmichael/Kwame Ture in the Manuscript and Library Divisions of Moorland Spingarn Research Center. (March-April 2011)
- “Booker T. Washington’s relationship with and ideas about Africa, with South Africa in particular” for Dr. Joseph E. Harris, Professor Emeritus, Howard University Department of History. The assignment was to use Booker T. Washington’s papers at the Library of Congress, as a principal source, to compile a bibliography to highlight his impact on African methods of education as well as Pan-African leadership and political development. (February-March 2011)
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
- Instructor Georgetown University’s Meyers Institute for College Preparation (MICP) “Introduction to South Africa” - African Studies Elective July - August 2013
- Middle School Language Arts Teacher Omutek Gwamaizima Charter School 910 Cook Road, Durham, North Carolina 27713 2003-2004