Alan A. Aja
Department Chairperson and Professor
Puerto Rican and Latino Studies
Location: 1205 Boylan Hall
Phone: 718.951.5561
Fax: 718.951.4183
Email:
Alan A. Aja is professor and chair in the Department of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies. His research interests include the racial wealth gap, education policy, economic democracy, collective action and sustainability. His publications include the book "Afro-Latinos in the U.S. Economy" with Michelle Holder (Lexington Books, 2021) and Miami's Forgotten Cubans: Race, Racialization and Local Afro-Cuban Experience (Palgrave-McMillan, 2016). He has independent and collaborative pieces in the Washington Post, Boston Review, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, Education Week, the Nation, Dissent, the American Prospect, Latino Rebels and other publications. Aja is a scholar-activist for federal to municipal level job guarantees. He advised on the award-winning documentary The Sentence by Rudy Valdez. Before academia, Aja was a labor organizer in Texas. He is currently on the Board of Directors for the National Jobs for All Network.
Education:
Ph.D., The New School, Milano Graduate School for Management & Urban Policy - 2008 (Public & Urban Policy)
M.A., Brandeis University, Heller Graduate School for Management and Social Policy - 2000 (Sustainable International Development)
B.A., University of Kentucky, College of Arts & Sciences - 1997 (Sociology/Communication)
Areas of Expertise:
Economic disparities among Latinx, African American, Afro-Latinx communities; stratification economics; wealth inequality, labor market/housing discrimination, institutionalized racism; student loans; immigration/education policy; intersectionality; participatory budgeting; racial segregation; sustainability; collective action/unionization; social movements. Research interests in Green New Deal, federal job guarantee, baby bonds, living wage, universal medicaid and other bold policies.
Books and Publications
"A Regressive Student Loan Systems Results in Costly Racial Disparities," with Louise Seamster. How We Rise, Brookings. Monday, Jan. 24, 2022. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2022
"Arab American Association of New York," with Danielle Bullock and David Farley. In "A People's Guide to New York City," University of California Press, 2022. (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2022
"The Problem, Mr. Mayor, is Too Few Jobs, Not Too Little Access," New York Daily News. With Noreen Connell and Trudy Goldberg, March 19, 2022. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2022
Afro-Latinos in the U.S. Economy. With Michelle Holder (John Jay-CUNY). Lexington/Rowman & Littlefield. (Books and Publications: Book (Authored)) 2021
"How Race Counts for Latinx Home Ownership," with Brandon Martinez. Critical Sociology, December. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2020
"Racism Isn't About Ignorance. Some Highly Educated People have Upheld Systemic Inequality." With Victor Ray. Washington Post. June 18th. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2020
"Spare CUNY, and Save the Education our Heroes Deserve," with Jeanne Theoharis and Joseph Entin. CityLimits. May 13. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2020
"Latinx: Inclusive Language as Liberation Praxis," with María Sharrón del Río, Journal of Latinx Psychology, Vol. 8, Issue 1, Feb. (7-20). (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2019
"The Color of Wealth in Miami," Alan Aja, Gretchen Beesing, Daniel Bustillo, Mark Paul, Anne Price, Khai Zaw, William Darity, Jr. and Darrick Hamilton. Collaborative publication by Kirwan Center for Study of Race & Ethnicity at Ohio State University, the Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University, and Insight Center for Community Economic Development. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2019
"The True Crime in Higher Education," with Jeanne Theoharis, Joseph Entin. New York Daily News, April 2. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2019
"What we Get Wrong about Closing the Racial Wealth Gap," with William Darity, Jr., Darrick Hamilton, Mark Paul, Anne Price, Antonio Moore and Caterina Chiopris. Cook Center on Social Equity/Insight Center for Community Economic Development, April, 2018. https://d.pr/f/ato4pN (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2018
"Why the Latinx Community Should Fight for a Job Guarantee," with Raul Carrillo and Rita Sandoval, Latino Rebels, May 9. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2018
Aja, Alan, Stephan Lefebvre, William Darity, Jr., Reynaldo Ortiz-Minaya and Darrick Hamilton, "Bold Policies for Puerto Rico: A Blueprint for Transformative, Justice-Centered Recovery," Dialogo Interdisciplinary Journal, Vol. 21, No. 2, Fall. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2018
"El Bloqueo Redux: Trump's Cuba Policies Strike a Familiar Chord," Rolling Stone Magazine, June 22. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2017
"How Cities Can do Better than the Fight for $15," with William Darity, Jr. and Darrick Hamilton. Yes! Magazine, October 6, 2017. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2017
"Jim Crow FEMA: How Trump's Disastrous Hurricane Maria Response Highlights U.S. Debt Owed to Puerto Rico," with Reynaldo Ortiz-Minaya, Latino Rebels, September 29, 2017. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2017
"The Immorality of Trump's Border Wall, Explained." With Jillian Hernandez and Raul Carrillo. Teen Vogue. August 23, 2017. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2017
"What Will Betsy DeVos Do Next? The Troubling Implications of Trump administration's zeal for deregulation." with David Bloomfield, Education Week, December 4, 2017. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2017
"Why Democrats are Wrong About Trump's Border Wall," with Jillian Hernandez and Raul Carrillo. Latino Rebels, September 4, 2017. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2017
Aja, Alan and Alejandra Marchevsky, "How Immigrants Became Criminals," The Boston Review: A Political and Literary Forum. March 17, 2017. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2017
"Making College Free Could Add a Million New Black and Latino Undergraduates," with Paul, Mark, Darrick Hamilton and William Darity, Jr. Dissent Magazine, March 21, 2016. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2016
"Miami's Forgotten Cubans: Race, Racialization and the Local Afro-Cuban Experience," Palgrave-McMillan, 2016. (Books and Publications: Book (Authored)) 2016
"Take Steps to Protect Immigrants from Trump," with Alex Vitale (Sociology, Brooklyn College). AMNewYork. December 8, 2016. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2016
"White-Supremacist David Duke's New Senate Campaign Fits a Pattern," with Alex S. Vitale. The Nation. July 23, 2016. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2016
"Still We Rise, The Continuing Case for America's Historically Black Colleges and Universities," with Darrick Hamilton, Tressie McMillan-Cottom, William Darity, Jr. and Carolyn Ash. The American Prospect, Fall 2015. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2015
"The Case for 'Latinx': Why Intersectionality is not a Choice," with Maria Scharron del Rio, Ph.D, Latino Rebels, December 5, 2015. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2015
"The Problem(s) With Obama's Community College Plan- And an Alternative," with Carolyn Ash, Darrick Hamilton and William Darity, Jr. The Washington Post, February 8, 2015. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2015
"Where Do We Go From Here? Bold Policies for Faith-Based Coalitions Post-comprehensive Immigration Reform." (2015) Religious Reflections on Immigration. Eds. Hwang, Alexander. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2015
"Civil Rights or Civil Wrongs: A Closer Look at Common Core," with Anthony Cody, Living in Dialogue, August 3, 2014 (and Huffington Post, Education, August 8, 2014). (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2014
"Juan Flores (1943-2014): A Remembrance of a Great Scholar," Racism Review, December 17, 2014. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2014
"Why We're Still Talking About Campbell Brown," with Alyssa Hadley Dunn, The Huffington Post, August 14, 2014. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2014
Aja, Alan and Daniel Bustillo. "Judicial Histories and Racial Disparities: Affirmative Action and the Myth of the Post Racial." Journal of Public Law and Policy (Law Review). Hamline University. St. Paul, Minn. Expected winter. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2014
Aja, Alan, Daniel Bustillo and Antwuan Wallace. "Countering Anti-Blackness Through "Black-Brown" and Inter-Group Coalitions: Policy Proposals to "Break the Silence," Journal of Intergroup Relations. Vol. XXXV, No. 2, Winter. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2014
Aja, Alan, Daniel Bustillo, William Darity, Jr. and Darrick Hamilton. "From a Tangle of Pathology to a Race-Fair America." Dissent Journal of Politics & Culture, Summer. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2014
Aja, Alan, Daniel Bustillo, William Darity, Jr. and Darrick Hamilton. "Jobs Instead of Austerity: A Bold Policy for Economic Justice." Social Research: An International Quarterly 80.3: 781-94. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2013
Aja, Alan, William Darity Jr. and Darrick Hamilton. "Don't Cut, Invest! Why the Obama Administration Should Support a Federal Jobs Guarantee Program!" The Huffington Post, March 12. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2013
Aja, Alan, William Darity Jr. and Darrick Hamilton. "If Not Race, Then Wealth: Why Universities Should Avoid Income as Proxy for Race-Based Admissions Policy." The Huffington Post, Jan. 10. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2013
Aja, Alan, William Darity, Jr. and Darrick Hamilton. "Refusing Austerity in America: How Baby Bonds Could Expand Social Security." Black/Latino Voices, The Huffington Post, April 26. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2013
Aja, Alan, William Darity, Jr. and Darrick Hamilton. "Segregated Education in Desegregated Schools: Why We Should Eliminate Tracking With 'Gifted and Talented' for All." Black/Latino Voices/Education, The Huffington Post, June 17. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2013
"Anyone But Blacks: Latinos, El Nuevo Blanqueamiento (Neo-Whitening) and Implications for Black-Brown Alliances." Souls: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture and Society 14.1-2, November: 2-29. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2012
"Democratic Rights and Nuyorican Identity in U.S. Mainland Partido Socialista Puertorriqueño." with Martinez, Miranda. Latino/a Research Review, Summer (special edition). (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2012
"Latinos and the One-way Road to the Iowa Caucuses." National Institute for Latino Policy (republished in syndicate). Jan. 13. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2012
"Romney, Obama and the Myth of Single Parenthood." Dissent: A Quarterly Journal of Politics and Culture, Oct. 25. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2012
Aja, Alan, Darrick Hamilton and William Darity, Jr. "Latinos, African Americans and the Coalitional Case for a Federal Job Guarantee," Ethnic Studies Review, June 22, 2012. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2012
"Color Lines Blurred in Immigration Fight." The Grio (NBC), April 26. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2010
"Loving Our Neighbor: A Report on Public Education." Report writer/contributor and taskforce member for Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy, Presbyterian Church (USA). Publication approved by General Assembly, July. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2010
"From Si se Puede to Yes We Can." Review of Beyond the Fields: Cesar Chavez, the UFW and the Struggle for Justice in the 21st Century, by Randy Shaw. New Politics XII.3, Summer: 47. (Books and Publications: Book Review) 2009
Aja, Alan and Anne Hoffman. "The Influence of Religion on Latino Political Participation in the US." Latino Religions Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2009
"Do Latinos Owe African Americans a Political Debt?" Austin American-Statesman Feb. 27. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2008
"The Intra-Immigrant Dilemma." New Politics X.4, Winter. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2006
"UK Needs to Acknowledge Racist Past to Erase Stigma of 1966." Kentucky Kernel Jan. 23. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2006
"London Is Burning: A Day in the Life." YMCA Journal of Social Practice Summer. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 1998
Creative Work
Production Assistant, The Sentence (HBO). Directed by Rudy Valdez. 2018
Awards, Honors and Fellowships
Whiting Fellowship for Outstanding Teaching in the Humanities. (Awards and Honors) 2011
Faculty Fellowships Publications Program, CUNY, spring. (Grants and Fellowships) 2010
Diversity Grant, for "Recovering History Project: Boricua Movement Rising." Collaboration with Center for Puerto Rican Studies, Hunter College, 2009-10. (Grants and Fellowships) 2009
PSC-CUNY Resarch Grant, for "Qualitative Data-Collection on Afro-Cuban Immigrant Settlement and Incorporation Experiences in a Post-Castro South Florida" book project. (Grants and Fellowships) 2009
PSC-CUNY/Office of Research and Graduate Studies/William Stewart Travel Grant Recipient, delegate for "Labour in the Academy, Global Challenges in a Neo-Liberal Age." International Exchange in Yorkshire (Leeds and Bradford, England), United Kingdom, April. (Grants and Fellowships) 2009
Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums
"Latinxs: Inclusive Language at the Intersection of gender identity, heteronormativity, ethnic pride and culture," presentation with Maria Sharron del Rio (Psychology, Brooklyn College). National Latino/a Psychology Association (NLPA), Biennial Conference. Orlando, Florida (October 1, 2016). (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Contributed Talk) 2016
Discussant, Panel on Federal Job Guarantee/Full Employment, Association for Allied Social Sciences/National Economics Association annual conference, San Francisco, January, 2016. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Contributed Talk) 2016
"Las Politicas de Respetabilidad: Latinxs, Whiteness and the Afro-LatinX Question in Age of Obama," Association of Black Sociologists Annual Conference, Chicago, August 21, 2015. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Contributed Talk) 2015
"Y Nosotros Que? Acknowledging the Afro-Latino Immigrant," Afro-Latin@s Now: Race Counts (Invited Panelist) - Afro-Latin@ Forum, October 24, 2014. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Contributed Talk) 2014
Invited panelist: "Eviction and Invisibility in the Cuban Enclave: Afro-Cubans on Miami's Margins." SIGLO XXI: Forging the Future of Latinos in a Time of Crisis-Conference. John Jay College, New York, Feb. 25. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2012
"Welcoming the Stranger: Undocumented Immigrants in the Age of Obama." Faculty Day panelist. Brooklyn College. May. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Contributed Talk) 2011
"Welcoming the Stranger: Reconquering la So-called Reconquista" panel presenter and participant. Faculty Day, Brooklyn College, May. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2010
Martinez, Miranda and Alan Aja. "The Discourse of Democratic Rights in the Mainland PSP." Puerto Rican Studies Association Annual Conference. Hartford, Conn., Oct. 23. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2010
"Latino Diasporas in the United States." CUNY Gotham Center, Teacher Education Workshop, Queens Museum, July 21. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2009
Plenary roundtable speaker, New York Metro American Studies Association Conference. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2006
Professional Leadership
Faculty Council delegate-at-large, elected for 2012-15. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2012
Member, Search Committee, Founding Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, Fall/Winter 2010-11. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2010
Member, Committee on Academic Integrity, Brooklyn College, 2009-10. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2009
Delegate at large and Executive Committee member, Brooklyn College Chapter of PSC-CUNY (Professional Staff Congress), elected for 2008-11. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2008
Community Activities
"Immigration 2013: A Blueprint on Immigration Reform" keynote speech. Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. Brooklyn, N.Y., March 17. 2013
Other Professional Activities
Live commentator, "El Debate Entre Romney y Obama," Cafe CNN Morning Show, CNN en Espanol, Sept. 28. 2012
Live guest commentator on Iowa caucuses and presidential election and Latinos. Cafe CNN Morning Show. CNN Espanol. Jan. 4. 2012
Guest interview, "Black Politics with Chris Owens." Air America Radio. March 8. 2008
