- School of Education Health and Human Services
- Akilah R. Carter-Francique, PhD
Akilah R. Carter-Francique, PhD
- School of Education Health and Human Services
- Akilah R. Carter-Francique, PhD
Akilah R. Carter-Francique, PhD
Dean, School of Education, Health and Human Services
Dr. Akilah R. Carter-Francique (Ph.D., University of Georgia) joined Benedict College in the fall 2022 as the Dean of the School of Education, Health and Human Services. With 20 years of experience in higher education, an extensive research background, and a strong vision for leadership in the field of education, Carter-Francique serves sporting spaces that center experiences of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).
Carter-Francique examines issues of race, gender, social class, and their intersections with sport, education, and society. She has presented at regional, national, and international conferences and written several articles and book chapters across academic disciplines to include being the co-editor of Athletic Experience at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Past, Present, and Persistence and Critical Race Theory: Black Athletic Experiences in the United States.
Carter-Francique serves as a research council member and consultant with Laureus “Sport for Good”; advisory committee member with Adapted Sport LABS; editorial board member for the Sport Social Work Journal; and, was the 2018-2019 President of the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport.
Research Agenda
– Historical and contemporary experiences of participants in sport and physical activity (primary focus). Focus on people of color (e.g., Black, Hispanic, Asian) and women in various sports settings to include recreation, interscholastic, intercollegiate, and professional.
– Experiences of Black females and males in educational institutions (K-20) (secondary focus). Focus on the ways that socio-cultural, socio-historical, and psychosocial realities impact student-athletes.
– Health and well-being for women of color (tertiary focus). Examine the effects of health and health disparities at the intersection of race and gender. Investigations illuminate how historical and contemporary traditions and stereotypes affect access, treatment, and adoption of health regimens through sport & physical activity
SELECTED WORKS
Journal Articles
Bopp, T., Keaton, A., Carter-Francique, A., & Vadeboncoeur, J. D. (2025). ‘Comfortable in my own skin’: the intersecting identities of Black women student-athletes at an HWIHE. Sport in Society, 1–24.
Carter-Francique, A. R. (2023). Lift me up: Fostering belonging beyond the classroom. Kinesiology Review, 1(aop), 1-9.
Carter-Francique, A. R. (2018). Is excellence inclusive: Examining Black female college athletes’ sense of belonging. Journal of Higher Education and Athletic Innovations. 1(3 November/December 2017), 48-73.
Carter-Francique, A. R., Hart, A., & Cheeks, G. (2015). Examining the role of social capital and social support on the academic success of Black student-athletes. Journal of African American Studies, 19(2), 157-177.
Carter, A. R. & Hart, A. (2010). Perspectives of mentoring: The Black female student-athlete. Sport Management Review, 13 (4), 382-394. H Index: 17
Books
Hawkins, B. J., Cooper, J., Carter-Francique, A. R. and Cavil, J. K. (Eds.), (2015). Black College Athletes: The Sporting Life at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group.
Book Chapters
Carter-Francique, A. R. (2025 March 20). ‘Cranes in the Sky: Mentoring Black Female College Athletes at HBCUs’ (20 Mar. 2025), In Meena Dhanda (ed.), Oxford Intersections: Racism by Context. Oxford Academic. https://doi.org/10.1093/9780198945246.003.0100
Porter, C. J., & Carter-Francique, A. R. (2024). Outsider within: The experiences of queer Black women college athletes at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In S. D. Mobley, N. R. Njoku, J. M. Johnson, and L. D. Patton (Eds.), Embracing Queer Students’ Diverse Identities at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: A Primer for Presidents, Administrators, and Faculty (Chapter 11). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Carter-Francique, A. R., Farmer, E.W. S., & Moten, T. N. (2023). Navigating the doctoral process: Using Critical Race Theory to examine Black students’ mentorship experiences, (199-220). In E. S. W. Farmer (Ed.)., The Black Student’s Pathway to Graduate Study and Beyond: The Making of a Scholar, (pp. 199-220). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Carter-Francique, A. R. (2022). Using Sport as a Platform for Lasting and Significant Social Change. In E. J. Staurowsky & A. Hart (Eds.), Diversity, equity, and inclusion in sport (Chapter 15). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Carter-Francique, A. R. (2022). Black Sportswomen’s Activism in the Era of Muhammad Ali. In J. L. Conyers & Christel N. Temple (Eds.), Muhammad Ali and Africana Cultural Memory, (pp. 145-166). New York, NY: Anthem Press.