W.E.B. Du Bois Scholars

Jullanar Zakiyyah Williams, M.A., is a Ph.D. student entering candidacy in Sociology at the University of California, Merced. A scholar-activist and committed advocate for justice, she brings her full self to both academic and community–engaged work. Grounded in lived experience and guided by deep intellectual inquiry, her research explores the intersections of mental health, racial justice, and community well-being through the lenses of health equity, intersectionality, sociolegal studies and CRT. Her scholarship is not only about naming harm but also envisioning healing, rooted in joy, intergenerational resilience, and transformative justice.

She served as a graduate researcher on the NSF-funded Du Bois S.E.R.V.E. project, collaborating with scholars across multiple institutions to integrate W.E.B. Du Bois’s legacy into data science curricula.

As a W.E.B. Du Bois Scholar Jullanar is passionate about developing inclusive, culturally relevant resources in public opinion research. Through her work with the Roper Center and AAPOR, she honors Du Bois’s legacy as a community–engaged scholar and methodological innovator—advancing more just, representative approaches to research and creating equitable pathways for future scholars.

Nia Holland is a rising PhD student in the Combined Program in Education and Psychology at the University of Michigan (UM). She is also completing a Master of Science Degree in the UM Survey and Data Science Program and holds a UM Master’s of Public Health Degree in Health Behavior and Health Education.  Nia completed undergraduate studies at Spelman College, where she majored in Psychology and participated in the NIH-NIGMS Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (RISE) Program, assisting in research on HIV/AIDS prevention among Black male college students. 

Nia is a member of American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and serves as a member of the AAPOR Steering Committee for the Black and African American Public Opinion Research Affinity Group. Her research interests include innovative survey research on education equity, educational attainment and mental health outcomes among Black students, and culturally-inclusive pedagogy. Nia is passionate about social and racial justice issues and is strongly committed to conducting strengths-based research that will improve the lives of Black Americans and other marginalized groups. She is also a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated. 

Alexis Grant-Panting is a current PhD student in the department of Sociology at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, TX. She defines herself as a scholar-activist with a passion for helping young people who, like her, come from marginal backgrounds. Her work draws on her experiences as a black woman, first generation student, and a mother. Her research interest centers on rural communities, education, teaching/pedagogy, and public sociology with a particular focus on the experiences of people of color, mothers in the academy, and inequality. 

Alexis has published on mentoring, being a graduate student during COVID, and the role of Public Intellectuals/Sociologist as they organize for racial equity within the Black Lives Matter Movement in rural communities. Her forthcoming narrative policy project examines the relationship between race and health as she explores her prenatal and birthing experiences as a black woman in Texas during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is also a wife, and mother of 2 (who occasionally join her regularly in meetings and presentations). Alexis also volunteers with her local community helping to organize volunteers for the local youth association, is on the Graduate Student Council for the Association of Black Sociologist where she assists in organizing and implementing the mentorship program and serves as the Graduate Student Representative for Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS) on the SWS Council.