A little about me:

I love research and teaching, but I am most passionate about bringing research to the classroom.  I always let the questions drive the data collection. In the past, students have conducted two Exit Polls for class assignments and used that data to write their own analytical papers. I enjoying working in the community to help educate residents about how to make change.

I am the Director of the Oklahoma Scholar-Leadership Enrichment Program (OSLEP).

I am on the Board the ACLU of Oklahoma!

Previously, I served on the Boards of Sally’s List, and NEOKCR!

I was a member of Leadership OKC Class 40!

Biography:

Andrea Benjamin is an Associate Professor in the Clara Luper Department of African and African American Studies. She is originally from Northern California and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Davis. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 2010. Her research interests include Race and Politics, Local Elections and Voting behavior, and Public Opinion. 

Her first book, Racial Coalition Building in Local Elections: Elite Cues and Cross-Ethnic Voting, explores the potential for Black and Latino Coalitions.  Using the Co-Ethnic Elite Cues Theory, the book shows that Blacks and Latinos rely on endorsements from co-ethnic leaders when casting their ballots.  This is especially true when race and ethnicity are salient in the campaign.  This book was published by Cambridge University Press in 2017.

Her research has appeared in the Journal of Politics, Urban Affairs Review, PS: Political Science, the National Review of Black Politics, and Urban Studies.  She has appeared on NPR’s 1A, written for the Washington Post, and has been interviewed by reporters from the New York Times, Governing, and the Connecticut Mirror.

In April of 2024, Dr. Benjamin received the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Faculty Service at the University of Oklahoma!

Dr. Benjamin is currently working on a project about coalitions, electoral representation, and policy representation in local politics. A majority of the data come from Durham, NC.

Photos by Chavez Adams Photography (chavey_vision on IG).