Jessica Samuel studies race, education, and the environment, including where all three might converge within the United States and the Caribbean. Through consulting, political activism, and program development, she uses research data to advocate for and facilitate equitable policies and practices within and outside of the field of education.
Her work is not just a profession but a personal commitment to the holistic development of humans. She is dedicated to promoting the collective well-being and liberation of marginalized communities through fostering a sense of authentic connection and radical engagement.
From 2018 to 2024, Jessica served as a board member of the Racial Imbalance Advisory Council for the Massachusetts Department of Secondary and Elementary Education (DESE), where she advised the Commissioner of Education and other DESE stakeholders on matters of racial equity in public education. She is also a member of Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC). This organization catalyzes the academic and economic advancement of young people of color by harnessing the power of its multi-racial, multi-sector, and values-aligned membership network.
Jessica's dissertation, “Consuming the U.S. Virgin Islands: Conservation and Education in America’s Paradise,” interrogates conservation colonialism’s impact on education aims on the island of St. John. Her research has been supported by the Social Welfare History Project at Virginia Commonwealth University, Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Boston University’s Graduate Student Organization, and Mellon Foundation.