Valedictorian Nailah Barnes has done more in four years at Spelman than what most individuals might never do in a lifetime. She has traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and around the globe, researching and curating museums in the Caribbean, in France and in Africa. She also created the Beauty with Brains Project, a non-profit which has impacted hundreds of young Black women across the nation.
As an international studies and French double major with concentrations in cultural and curatorial studies, Barnes has experienced meaningful learning that has shaped her career in curation. As a University of California-HBCU Intern, she completed six weeks of archeological research in St. Croix, where she “excavated and contextualized the cultural material of enslaved Afro-Crucians on Estate Little Princess, a former sugar plantation.”
Her love of museums and storytelling led her to work with the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and with culture curators to tell the story of St. Croix from slavery to freedom. From this experience, Barnes learned that museums are “phenomenal educational tools and cultural bridge builders” that “honor the people whose cultures and histories are on display.”
She also worked as a curatorial fellow at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia bringing to life exhibitions of marginalized artists and completing a cultural heritage project that documented the historical significance and notable features in the Rockefeller Fine Arts Building at Spelman and at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia. This work was conducted in conjunction with the Cooper Cary and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Barnes looks forward to continuing her global travels to Venice, Italy, where she will report on the 59th Venice Biennale, an international contemporary art exhibition on racial and gender-based inclusion in the biennial. She thanks Dr. Karen Clay, assistant director for Study Abroad, for putting “the Pulitzer Reporting Fellowship on my radar.”
She also thanks Dr. Michelle Hite, associate professor of English and director of the Ethel Waddell Githii Honors Program, for putting the Fulbright Fellowship on her radar because, as Barnes writes, it will allow her “to expand upon my career research projects on Black American migration patterns, focusing on contemporary art in the African diaspora and Senegal’s emergence as a complex cultural hub.” Barnes said she is “immensely honored and grateful” to be named recipient of the Fulbright research Grant to Senegal.
In addition to her global travels and extensive research projects, Barnes started her nonprofit, The Brains With Beauty Project, to “address a need “she saw in herself and also in my community -- representations of Black girls as both brilliant and beautiful.” Barnes writes ...
"Brains With Beauty is a project that reminds Black girls that we can have it all. It is comprised in three parts: “The Salon Initiative, which places empowering books in hair salons for young patrons to enjoy; the One-Stop Initiative, an online platform that houses curated academic and holistic wellness tips; and Sister Circle, an advice forum written by college students to help younger students navigate their middle and high school journeys."
A Bonner scholar, Barnes credits the Spelman curriculum for providing the framework for the nonprofit that speaks to her passion for empowering Black girls and young Black women. “Bonner helped me hone a portion of the work I hope to continue in my next steps and beyond – fighting for equitable access to quality education and support in the classroom for Black girls in the nation and abroad."
In addition to being a Bonner Scholar, Barnes was a UNCF Mellon Mays Research Fellow and a Social Justice Scholar. She is grateful to professors Dr. Moon Charania, Dr. Mason Kim, Dr. Anne Carlson and to Dr. Anne Finley, who “nurtured her to be a writer, researcher and analytical thinker; to Dr. Cynthia Spence, who gave her stalworth support for her global research, and to President Mary Schmidt Campbell, who “modeled for me what a servant leader and a trailblazer does and accomplishes in the world of cultural affairs and higher education.”
When asked, “What advice would you give to remaining students and new students about how to achieve at Spelman, Barnes answered:
“Never compromise your passions and interests in favor of a career path or job title that perhaps ‘makes more sense’ because it has been done before or because family and friends are pressuring you. Listen to that voice inside that wants you to chart your own path and surround yourself with people who are doing the same thing and enjoying what they are choosing to do.”