Hedwig Lee
Whitney N. Laster Pirtle is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and McArthur Foundation Chair in International Justice and Human Rights at the University of California, Merced (UC Merced). She received her B.A. from Grand Valley State University, and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Vanderbilt University. At UC Merced, she has affiliations with Public Health and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies departments and directs the Sociology of Health and Equity (SHE) Lab. Her research explores issues relating to race, identity, inequality, health equity, and Black feminist praxis. In addition to her work on racial capitalism and Covid-19, she recently published a piece in Gender & Society titled “Structural Gendered Racism Revealed in Pandemic Times.” Her co-edited volume Black Feminist Sociology: Perspectives and Praxis is forthcoming with Routledge. She won the 2020 A. Wade Smith Award for Teaching, Mentoring, and Service from the Association of Black Sociologists.
