Dr. Martez Files is an Assistant Professor of Black Studies in Teacher Education at the University of Pittsburgh and is the Faculty Leadership Fellow for Political Education at the Center for Urban Education (CUE). His scholarship, deeply rooted in Black Studies in Education, Black Feminism(s), and expansive Black knowledge traditions, positions him at the vanguard of critical studies on antiblackness, ungendering, and Black mothering praxis. With a rich academic foundation, including a Ph.D. in Educational Studies in Diverse Populations from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (U.A.B.), a M.A.T. in History/S.S. from Brown University, and a B.A. in History and a B.A. in African American Studies from U.A.B., he is committed to rigorous scholarship and community activism.
Dr. Files’ research centers on Black mothering, critical caring pedagogies, and gender and race studies, as demonstrated by his publications and editorial work. His scholarly endeavors offer nuanced insights into the organizing logics of antiblackness and the dynamics of Black Feminist Thought, underscoring his profound engagement with critical theories and methodologies. Dr. Files’ commitment to advancing educational justice is further evidenced by his leadership in organizing critical pedagogical workshops, contributing to the development of a Black educational studies focus, and actively participating in dialogues on race, gender, and educational equity through various platforms, including prestigious lectures and panels.
Beyond his academic contributions, Dr. Files has demonstrated unwavering dedication to community engagement and service, translating his research into actionable change. His decade-long activism in Alabama, focusing on mental health, education, communal care, and police accountability, exemplifies his approach to scholarship as a means of social transformation. Through his multifaceted roles as a researcher, educator, and activist, Dr. Files not only shapes the discourse within academia but also impacts communities, advocating for a more just and equitable society.
Dr. Files teaches courses in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Leading. Courses include:
- TLL 1581 Critical Histories in Education
- TLL 1582 Cultures, Knowledge Traditions, and Social Systems of Schooling 1
- TLL 2827 Teaching and Learning 3 in Social Studies
- Black Mothering Praxis
- Black and Disruptive Qualitative Methodologies
- Race, Gender, and Antiblackness
Selected Journal Articles
Dancy, T. E., Jones, J., & Files, M. (forthcoming). Gendering antiblackness: A Blackcrit-feminist analysis of HBCU statements following George Floyd uprisings. Negro Educational Review.
Files, M., Perry, T.B., Briggs, S.E., & Ray, A. (2022). Listening to our Black daughters: Three rural Alabama students share valuable advice for their middle school selves. Language Arts, 140-143.
Files, M. (2020). A historical essay on Black women’s gendered racial terror in the United States. Vulcan Historical Review, 24, 101-106.
Files, M. (2016). Understanding the Black male’s quest for identity as illustrated through Native Son. The Heritage Journal, 1(1), 16-19.
Selected Book Chapters
Files, M. (in press). Black mother wisdom to graduate students on the margins. In R.D. Williams (Ed.), Healing while studying: Reflections and strategies for healing, coping, and liberation of graduate students of minoritized identities (Research, Advocacy, Collaboration, and Empowerment Mentoring Series). Information Age Publishing, Inc.
Loder-Jackson, T. L., Bodine Al-Sharif, M. A., Jones, C., Files, M., & Wiggins, C.N. (2023). Critical race theory and qualitative research. In Elsevier (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Education (4th Edition) (pp. 67-77).
Perry, T.B., Files, M., Briggs, S.E., Ray, A., Jurkiewicz, H., & Wilkinson, L. (2022). Developing Critical caring pedagogy: Teacher education in service of students in Black rural spaces after COVID. In A. Webb & M. Shoffner (Eds.), Reconstructing care in teacher education after COVID-19 (pp. 201-210). Routledge.
Book Review(s)
Files, M. (2022). Appealing because he is appalling. [Review of the book Appealing because he is appalling: Black masculinities, colonialism, and erotic racism edited by Kitossa, T.]. Decolonization of Criminology and Justice, 85-91.
- Advocacy Award, Birmingham Black Pride (August 2021)
- History Department’s Sutter Scholarship, University of Alabama at Birmingham (2019-2020) Outstanding Citizen Award, Birmingham City Council (September 2019)
- Marsha P. Johnson “Game Changer” Award, TAKE Resource Center’s Community Service Awards Gala (June 2019)
- Birmingham’s “Best Activist,” The Other Awards (May 2019)
- Diversity Enhancement Programs Fellowship (annual award), University of Alabama at Birmingham (September 2017- May 2019)
- Files, M. (Chair), Adams, L., Baer, A., & Black, J. (2023, October 28). Crime, Race, and Community. Panel presented at the UHA Tenth Biennial Conference: Reparations & the Right to the City, Pittsburgh, PA.
- Files, M., Poe, W., & Amos, L. (February 2023). Virtual Film Screening and Discussion: Descendant. University of Pittsburgh Center for Urban Education. Virtual.
- Files, M. (January 2023). Sophisticated Attacks & Consequential Activism: Legal & Political Gains of the Civil Rights Movement. 20th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Lecture. Birmingham, AL.
- Bennett, J., & Files, M. (June 2022). June CUESEF 2022 Plenary Session 8: The School/Prison Nexus. University of Pittsburgh Center for Urban Education. Virtual.
- Dancy, T. E., Files, M., Poe, W., & Wright, C. (April 2022). bell hooks study group. Black Masculinity and Black Feminist Thought: Black Men Bearing Witness. University of Pittsburgh Center for Urban Education. Virtual.
- Perry, T. B., Briggs, S. E., Turner, D. P., Files, M. (April 2021). A Mixed-Methods Study in the Black Belt: Measuring Performance and Exploring Black Rural Education. American Educational Research Association. Virtual. Co-Presenters.
- Files, M. (November 2019). Theorizing the Black Maternal: Educational Injustices and Black Feminist Mothering as a Site of Knowing and Resistance. Research on Women and Education Conference. Nashville, TN. Presenter.