The American Sociological Association (ASA) recently honored Monica White, associate professor in the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology, with its Distinguished Career Award for the Practice of Sociology. The award recognizes “outstanding contributions to sociological practice with work that has served as a model for the work of others; that has elevated the professional status or public image of the field; or that has been widely recognized for its significant impacts, particularly in advancing human welfare.” 

White, who joined the UW–Madison faculty in 2012, has a joint appointment in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, where she is the Distinguished Chair of Integrated Environmental Studies. 

In announcing the award, ASA described White as “a leading scholar of Black sociology, widely lauded for her creative and justice-oriented academic research, her effective promotion of agroecological education for Black students, and her real-world impact on food justice organizations and Black farming.”

The organization also pointed to her groundbreaking debut book, Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement (University of North Carolina Press, 2018), which “reclaims the role of land and Black agriculture from slavery narratives and emphasizes a form of resistance through community-led development.”

Read ASA’s full story on White and learn more about the awards.