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Demonstrating how research can benefit the local community, students in Dr. Jocelyn Brown’s “Black Men and Masculinities” class spent spring semester researching Underground Railroad sites across the state of Ohio. In small groups, students investigated the history of the sites along with their current use. They presented their findings to representatives of the Athens landmark Mount Zion Baptist Church along with recommendations for that organization’s future. 

The church, located a few blocks from OHIO’s Athens campus, is being transformed into a community center that will offer programming to “support the Black community and other marginalized peoples of Southeast Ohio,” according to . 

Board members who attended the students’ presentations said they found the recommendations well-informed and helpful.

“Dr. Brown’s students presented fascinating research, and I learned a great deal from them,” said Tee Ford-Ahmed, communication and media director for Mount Zion. “As a West Virginian, I am not as deeply versed in Ohio’s Underground Railroad history... Many of the sites they uncovered were entirely new to me, and their findings also highlighted the challenges we may face as we work toward reopening Mount Zion as a Black cultural center.”

For Brown, an assistant professor in the Department of African American Studies, the presentations were inspiring on multiple levels.

“I was deeply moved by the students’ commitment to this work,” she said. “Many had never engaged with public history or regional Black institutions before, yet they approached the task with care, rigor and humility. Their presentations reflected a genuine desire to honor the past while contributing to a more connected and sustainable future for Black Appalachia.”

The presentations were the culmination of a semester-long project. Students selected the sites they wanted to study from any that had a connection to the Underground Railroad and were adjacent to Appalachian Ohio. The groups ultimately presented on the  in Gallipolis, the  in Zanesville and the  in Springfield.

During the research period, the students worked with Ford-Ahmed and other members of the Mount Zion community, including Dr. Vibert Cambridge and Ada-Woodson Adams, to learn about Athens area history.

“[Dr. Brown] had a clear vision and incorporated several initiatives into her syllabus for the year,” Ford-Ahmed said. 

Across multiple courses over the 2024-25 academic year, Brown incorporated initiatives including a screening of Mount Zion’s film, “” and a guided tour of Heritage Square in Uptown Athens.

Students in Brown’s “Black Woman” class utilized the African American Research and Service Institute (AARSI) for their research projects. The AARSI collection includes interviews with Black Appalachians in and around the Ohio River Valley.

“AARSI is integral to understanding the Affrilachian experience,” Brown said. “Especially since many Affrilachians migrated to the region during the Great Migration.”

The research projects are closely related to Brown’s ongoing research, which focuses on both the historical experience of Black Appalachians and their contemporary experience.

“I’m currently conducting focus groups with leaders and community members across the region, including those affiliated with Mount Zion, the (BLAC ), the , and the John Gee House,” Brown explained.

Brown said the research conversations focus on “cultural strengths and community identity” as well as socioeconomic and health challenges faced by Black Appalachians.

“We are asking how Black-led organizations in Appalachia can work together to preserve their legacies while also advocating for systemic resources and recognition,” she explained.

The students will also be submitting their research projects to the