Race & Violent Crime

Lauren Henley, a historian and assistant professor in the Jepson School of Leadership Studies, researches youthfulness, race, gender, religion, and crime in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Her areas of expertise include: African American history, ethics of crime, and history of serial killers.

In general, she considers how Black women and girls became both the victims of and perpetrators of violent crimes in the rural industrial South.

Henley's article, “The Richest Black Girl in America,” has been acquired by Steven Spielberg’s film and production company. Learn more here.

Henley's work has also appeared in the Journal of African American History and Souls: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture, and Society. She serves as a reviewer for academic journals and textbook supplements.

Contact director of media and public relations Sunni Brown at sbrown5@richmond.edu to connect with Henley.