Yesenia Escobar Espitia is an Afro-Colombian scholar, professor, poet, writer, and lawyer born and raised in Barranquilla. She holds a bachelor's degree in Modern Languages from the University of Atlántico and a Juris Doctor from La Gran Colombia University. She earned a master’s degree in Literature from the National University of Colombia. She is a Ph.D. candidate in Spanish at Temple University in Philadelphia. Her research interests focus on Afro-Latin American literature, emphasizing writers from Brazil, Colombia, and the Caribbean. She is a co-author of the chapter titled “Writing and Activism: A Political Perspective of Afro-Latina's Struggle in Colombia, Brazil, and the Caribbean," published in AfroLatinas and LatiNegras: Culture, Identity, and Struggle from an Intersectional Perspective, published by Lexington Books in 2022, edited by Concetta Bondi and Rosita Scerbo.
Among her published creative works are two poetry books: Anoche soñé con cocodrilos (Last Night I Dreamed About Crocodriles) and Ensueño negro del África mía (Black Daydream of My Africa) As well as two children's books: Mamá Avó and ¿En dónde estás Masmelo? (Masmelo! Where are you?).
She is an active member of Red Elegguá, a Colombian NGO focused on researching and promoting anti-racist education through studying Africa and the African diaspora. She is also the Honorary Director of International Affairs at INABRA, the National Afro-Brazilian Institute. She has often been invited to International Poetry Festivals in Colombia, Puerto Rico, and the United States.
Faculty Advisor: Adam Joseph Shellhorse