Renowned author and freelance journalist Alexis Clark, ‘02 M.S., has joined Columbia Journalism School as a full-time Assistant Professor of Journalism. A member of the part-time faculty since 2015, her work on the influence of race, culture and politics during World War II and the Civil Rights Era has earned acclaim. She will use her bevy of experience to guide students in reporting on race and inequality.
"We're thrilled to welcome Alexis Clark as our inaugural professor of race and inequality. Alexis has been a standout educator and a valuable part of the CJS faculty community for eight years,” said Jelani Cobb, Dean and Henry R. Luce Professor of Journalism. “We're excited to have her as a tenure track faculty member beginning this fall."
Clark previously worked as a senior editor at Town & Country magazine, covering cultural and philanthropic events across the country — including President Barack Obama’s inauguration. She is currently working on a nonfiction book on America’s Black sororities, and their fight for both gender and racial equality, to be published by Penguin Random House.
As part of her many World War II research projects, for which she received grants from the Ford Foundation, Clark published her 2018 book, "Enemies in Love: A German POW, a Black Nurse and an Unlikely Romance” (The New Press). This work of narrative nonfiction has since been covered by The New Yorker, The New York Times, “PBS Newshour Weekend,” NPR, The Philadelphia Inquirer, “Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien,” Essence, WNYC and Bloomberg TV. “Enemies in Love” is currently being developed into a television series.
Clark has been published as a contributing writer for History.com, with stories on African American culture, the military and milestones in social and racial justice. She has also written a variety of features for The New York Times over the years, from the treatment of Black servicemembers in World War II to sibling separation in New York State’s foster care system.
She contributed to “Beyond the World War II We Know,” a Times series documenting lesser-known stories from the war. Clark also helped launch “Past Tense,” a special digital series in 2018. The project brought narratives of the past to life in a series of articles that showcased photographs from the New York Times archive.
Clark also works as a correspondent for the public affairs television program, “Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien.” Clark reports on historic and contemporary issues, such as poverty, food insecurity and its impact, the building trades industry and neglected neighborhoods.
Her work has also been published by Smithsonian.com, Preservation Magazine, NBC News Digital and other publications. Along with her graduate degree from Columbia Journalism School, Clark, a Dallas native, holds an M.A. in Government from the University of Virginia and a B.A. in Political Science from Spelman College.
