I am a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of African American and Africana Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. My research examines the relationship between immigrant integration, transnational engagement, and racial and ethnic identity with a particular focus on Black (namely, African) immigrants. My current research centers on Oromo immigrants from Ethiopia. Drawing mainly on in-depth interviews in the Washington, D.C. and Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan areas, I explore how ethnic and racial identities are and continue to be informed by events and processes in both the United States and Ethiopia. Prior to joining the University of Maryland, I earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Stanford University. My research has been published in some of the top racial and ethnic studies journals including Sociology of Race and Ethnicity and Race and Social Problems.

My name is pronounced “bay-kah” and my preferred pronouns are he/him/his.