McPherson

Gramond McPherson is a second-year Ph.D. student in the History Department at UVA. A native of Alabama, he earned a B.A. in History from Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama in 2014 and an M.A. in History from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida in 2019. His research examines black urban communities in the American South, particularly since World War II. In studying Central Florida, he is interested in how local, state, and federal policies have impacted black communities in the Orlando metropolitan area. Additionally, his research discusses the rise of citizen activism in studying relations between residents, government officials, and private entities regarding infrastructural changes (i.e., highways, stadiums/arenas, housing) the impact black communities. Gramond is a member of the 2020-2021 UVA Mentoring Institute as well as a Dean’s Doctoral Fellow with the 2020-2021 cohort. His career aspirations are to become a university professor.