Abigail is a Gambian-American scholar-practitioner born in D.C. and raised in the Gambia and the US. As a Gambian-American she has had to reconcile the tension in the hyphen of her identity, particularly growing up during the violent regime of a dictator in her home country. Through witnessing the realities of political corruption, poor governance, and human rights violations, Abigail is fueled to make sustainable and transformational change to address issues of systemic oppression. Abigail’s research has consisted of deconstructing colonial frameworks to peace, development, and gender in armed conflict environments and the role of building youth resiliency and re-integration in conflict environments in Sub-Saharan Africa. Devoted to social justice, equity and the liberation of folks of color, particularly black womxn, during her time in academia, she continues to be reflexive of the impact of her research and continuously acknowledging decolonization as a process of historical awareness and dismantling – which institutions refuse to acknowledge.
She’s been involved in civic engagement work in Egypt, Morocco, and Malawi, working with refugees fleeing persecution and oppressive regimes as well as, The Gambia, working with the U.S. Embassy and the Office of the Mayor on women’s empowerment initiatives.
