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Faculty of Arts and Science Professor Kristin Moriah has been elected as a member into the American Antiquarian Society (AAS). The Society cultivates understanding of the American past, grounded in its ever-growing collection of printed and manuscript sources. Through wide-ranging programs, community engagement, and generously supporting researchers and students of early American history, the Society works to cultivate a broad community of inquiry―locally and nationally.

Since its founding in 1812 by Revolutionary War patriot and printer Isaiah Thomas, AAS has assembled what is today the world’s largest and most accessible collection of books, pamphlets, broadsides, newspapers, periodicals, children's literature, music, and graphic arts material printed before the twentieth century in what is now the United States.

“This is an incredible honour. They have always been very supportive of my research and my work,” says Dr. Moriah (Department of English Literature and Creative Writing).

Dr. Moriah, whose research focus is 19th century African American literature and culture, gave a talk to the AAS in February and she says it was a validating moment for her because the president of the Society was present. She adds it felt like they were supporting her important work on early Black feminists.

“AAS membership is an acknowledgement that your research is strongly related to their holdings and their interests,” Dr. Moriah says. “With this election, African American studies is being recognized and valued by AAS. They hold material related to early Black Canadian studies, papers related to the Underground Railroad, and material related to people like, . They want to signal they are a supportive network.”

“Professor Moriah has been generating politically impactful, publicly accessible, and internationally recognized research on Black American cultural history since her arrival at Queen’s, all the while curating opportunities for her students to meaningfully participate in the generative work of historical recovery and dissemination,” says Sam McKegney, Department Head, Department of English Literatur and Creative writing. “She pursues her work with vision, wisdom, and ethical care and is eminently deserving of this honour.”

Dr. Moriah completed her undergraduate studies at Western University and says she has always been interested in literature and drama. “In my last year of undergrad, I had the opportunity to take an independent study course with Charmaine Nelson who, at that point, was one of the only Black art historians in Canada.”

She adds there are a lot of people from Queen’s who supported her along the way including Kathrine McKittrick who came to speak at the CUNY Graduate Centre where she was completing her PhD. “Just knowing she was a Black Canadian who had made such an impact was exciting for me. I got her to sign Demonic Grounds (a book Dr. McKittrick wrote) – and she signed it with a quote from Sylvia Winter that said ‘stay human’ which was meaningful for me as a grad student.”

She came to Queen’s University in 2018 and has earned multiple awards during her time here including Yasuo Sakakibara prize from the and is one of the inaugural recipients of the Black Scholars Excellence in Mentorship awards.

“One of the amazing and unusual things about Queen’s is that we have such a strong Black Studies program,” Dr. Moriah adds. “When I joined, it was just ramping up. Now I have an incredible opportunity to work with a tight knit cohort of Black Studies Scholars, particularly Black feminist scholars, that I could not have imagined, even as I was applying for the position. It’s a really exciting time.”

To learn more about the AAS, .