About Holly
RESEARCHER, EDUCATOR, PUBLIC SPEAKER, & STRATEGIST
I am an Independent Scholar. I specialize in 20th- and 21st-century African American literature. My research explores topics such as police brutality, revolutionary violence, Black martyrdom, legacy, and Hip Hop culture, spanning the Black Power Movement to the Black Lives Matter Movement. I analyze how resistance to extrajudicial killings is represented through literature, film, and popular culture, focusing on four generations of Black activists. Additionally,
I am a John D. McCabe Award for Excellence in Teaching award-winning instructor of first-year writing and African American literature, a certified film studies instructor, a poet, and a recipient of doctoral fellowships.
Rooted in Black history, refined by research,
and driven by the future of the culture.
Areas of Specialization: 20th and 21st Century African American literature; Black literature & Social Movements; Hip Hop studies; Film studies; LGBTQ+ and gender studies; Popular culture.
Professional Correspondence Note: As of May 18th, 2026, I am no longer accessing my Marquette University email account; please direct all professional inquiries to my business address at holly-burgess@outlook.com
Scholarship in Motion
My work lives at the intersection of the archive and the community. By transcribing the legacies of Black activism across four generations, I aim to bridge the gap between historical literature and modern social movements.
Gofundme $
NYC RESEARCH TRIP $
August 3-12, 2026 $
Gofundme $ NYC RESEARCH TRIP $ August 3-12, 2026 $
GoFundMe: Goal $5.00/$2.2k
Support Holly E. Burgess’s Malcolm X & NYC Research Pilgrimage
The Mission: NYC August 2026
I am headed to New York City, August 3-12, 2026, to study Malcolm X, Dr. Huey P. Newton, Tupac Shakur, and the Black Radical Tradition. I will be conducting archival research in Harlem, at The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (NYPL), andThe Shabazz Center, and other archival sites along the way!
Why I Am Raising Funds
As a researcher with a 3.9447 GPA and nearly a decade of experience in Black Radical Tradition, I am committed to seeing this work through to the finish line. I am committed to still traveling to NYC despite the transitional period of my career and education!
I cannot pass up this once-in-a-lifetime research opportunity. This will be my first time flying on a plane!
This NYC research trip is for my forthcoming dissertation titled, "Transcribing Brutality: Violence, Martyrdom, and Legacy in Black Literature and Social Movements." In my dissertation, I am crafting an original literary genealogy of four generations of Black scholar-activists as they respond to the themes of state violence, martyrdom, lynching, and legacy.
I am now in the fifth generation due to having to sever ties with my former university to protect my intellectual property, my dissertation, my dissertation committee, my mental and physical health, my Medicaid and SNAP/EBT, and my household's safety.
A Legacy of Gratitude
As a donor, you are part of this pilgrimage. All donors will be formally thanked in the Acknowledgments Page of my completed dissertation and featured on my professional portfolio at hollyeburgess.
All donations to this GoFundMe will help me and my federal retiree mother, Laurie, get to NYC so I can conduct this groundbreaking research, with my mother's support, and ensure my light—and this Black history—continues to shine.
Thank you for helping me stand in the light! -Hollycurrent portfolio
My research centers on police brutality, revolutionary violence, Black martyrdom, legacy, and Hip Hop as key sites of Black political thought and cultural production.
I deliver interdisciplinary lectures that synthesize Black history, literature, music, and film to interrogate the evolving pulse of Black cultural production.
I teach African American literature and culture through an engaging, multimodal, and interdisciplinary approach that centers texts by Black writers, rappers, and scholar-activists.
I successfully translated my doctoral research into a high-impact undergraduate course, bridging archival theory with modern classroom practice.
I am committed to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across research, teaching, DEI initiatives, and academic leadership.
My poetry explores Black thought, identity, history, and Black love. Explore my poetry page to hear me recite my poems.
recent publications
“With Bated Breath (In Memory of Greg)”
For National Poetry Month (April), Lake Geneva Public Libraryand Lakeside Booksare displaying “With Bated Breath (In Memory of Greg) in The Community Poetry Walk (April 16-30th, 2026).
Read “With Bated Breath” and other curated poems as you walk along the lakefront in Lake Geneva, WI!
Writing As a Black Scholar: Teaching Black Activism, Hip-Hop, and the Cost of Activism" for Bedford Bits Blog
"Capacitating Community: The Writing Innovation Symposium" for Community Literacy Journal
Current Read & current listen
current read:
Revolutionary Suicide by
Dr. Huey P. Newton
current Listen:
Let's Work Together!
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Let's Work Together! *
As a Ph.D. candidate and public scholar, I am passionate about bridging the gap between archives and communities. Whether it’s a keynote on the history of Hip-Hop, a workshop on digital activism, or a guest lecture on the legacy of Malcolm X, I am eager to collaborate.
Current Focus Areas for 2026:
Guest Lectures: View the lecture introduction video for topics. Then, book Holly.
Curriculum Design: Incorporating Black social movements, Hip Hop rhetoric, and AAVE into the humanities.
Media&Public Scholarship: Translating academic research for broadcast and community audiences. See the press kit for more information.
Contact & engagement
Public Scholarship • Lectures • Creative Commissions
Holly e. burgess
Independent Scholar
Research: Black Literature & Social Movements
Dissertation: "Transcribing Brutality: Violence, Martyrdom, and Legacy in Black Literature and Social Movements"
Web: hollyeburgess.com
EMAIL: holly-burgess@outlook.com
she/her
“The people are the makers of world history.”