The African American Studies department proudly celebrates Dr. Courtney Moore Taylor, whose latest article, “A Badge of Slavery: Clothing and Enslaved Teenage Girls’ Identity Formation,” appears in the August 2025 issue of the Journal of Southern History.
In this powerful and deeply researched work, Dr. Taylor explores how clothing functioned as both a tool of control and a site of resistance for enslaved teenage girls in the antebellum South. Through archival analysis and cultural critique, she reveals how garments—often imposed by enslavers—shaped identity, agency, and self-perception among young Black girls navigating the brutal realities of slavery.
Dr. Taylor’s scholarship continues to illuminate the intersections of race, gender, and material culture, offering new ways to understand the lived experiences of Black youth in historical contexts. Her work not only enriches the field of African American Studies but also challenges us to reckon with the legacies of oppression embedded in everyday objects.
We invite you to read and share this important contribution to Southern history and Black feminist thought.
Read the article in the Journal of Southern History Link Here (subscription may be required).
