I envision a liberated world. A world void of anti-blackness, racism, xenophobia, transphobia, homophobia, prison cells and continued imperialistic violence. A place of community, equity and collaboration. Simply, I want to help make our world more free. This goal motivates my historical work. The role of the historian in radical liberation is vital. History must be accessible and provide the necessary context to our current moment. Grounded in these principles of justice, liberation and ultimately joy I work towards a better tomorrow.

Camille “Mimi” Borders is a poet, writer, and historian who is passionate about animating archival silences. Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio she loves chili on spaghetti and midwest hospitality. Mimi graduated magna cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis in 2018 with a B.A. in History. As a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, she wrote an honors thesis titled, “Moral Treason and Black Civil War Widows in the 19th Century,” which explored how Black women responded to invasive pension laws which criminalized their sexual desires. Mimi has continued to explore the intersections of state surveillance and Black womanhood at the University of Oxford where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar receiving an MPhil in US History (2020) WITH Distinction. Her MPhil dissertation focused on the experiences of Black women in the Southern Claims Commission. At Oxford Mimi co-convened the Race and Resistance Program, a network within the Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities (TORCH), organizing a termly speaker series.

Mimi has previously worked as an intern in the Office of the President at the Mellon Foundation and as Program Director for the African American Heritage House at Chautauqua Institution.

Connect with her on LinkedIn.