Sophonie Joseph

Dr. Sophonie Milande Joseph is a visual artist and community planner. She uses conceptual photography and documentary filmmaking as tools to conduct visual sociology. Her commitment to social equity informs a transformative worldview and involvement with grassroots initiatives in Haiti and the US. Her deep passion for justice stems from her background in working with and supporting vulnerable communities over the past decade. She currently sits on the board of BlackSpace, a Black urbanist collective of architects, planners, and artists, that strive for environments that recognize, affirm, and amplify Black agency, discourse and thought. Through her participation in parallel academic and professional spheres, she has built formidable skills in the realms of transnational planning, intersectional feminism, and environmental justice.

Dr. Joseph obtained her Doctorate in Urban Planning from Columbia University. She holds a Masters of Urban Planning from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Planning & Public Policy and Women’s & Gender Studies from Douglass College-Rutgers University.