Kim F. Hall, the Lucyle Hook Professor of English and professor of Africana Studies, has been inducted to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences, an honor society composed of accomplished scholars, artists, scientists, and leaders spanning generations.
Founded in 1780, past members include historical figures such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as Barnard’s own Zora Neale Hurston, who was recognized as a “legacy honoree” in 2023.
“I burst into tears when I first heard about my election and I haven't had time to sit with ‘why’ other than it was so unexpected and so incredible to imagine my name with the luminaries named in the election letter,” said Hall.
Hall was stunned when she received her induction letter. “I am gobsmacked at this news,” she wrote to the Academy president and chair. As part of a long-standing Academy tradition, inductees submit written acceptance letters that become part of the organization’s archives. In hers, Hall paid tribute to her late father, and reflected on what she learned about democracy in his barbershop.
“Dad would often push me to articulate how my early modern work would be meaningful for Black people,” she wrote.
“The founding of the nation and the Academy are rooted in the inextricable links between a vibrant democracy, the free pursuit of knowledge, and the expansion of the public good,” said Academy President Laurie Patton in a press statement.
Hall’s scholarship spans critical race theory, Black feminism, and Early Modern literature. “I was interested in how literature both reflects and produces our social world,” said Hall.
The honor arrives at an opportune moment: Hall is currently researching for her forthcoming book, tentatively titled Othello Was My Grandfather: Shakespeare and Freedom in the African Diaspora, which will explore the relationship between Shakespeare and Black freedom struggles throughout history.
Since joining Barnard’s faculty in 2006, Hall has taught across multiple disciplines, including Africana studies, English, and medieval and renaissance studies. She is a passionate advocate for women’s education, having attended an all-girls public high school herself.
“I am the product of women’s education, to the bone,” said Hall.
Hall plans to attend the Academy’s induction ceremony in October in Cambridge, Massachusetts.