Amina Melendez-Mayfield

Amina Melendez-Mayfield

Graduate Teaching Associate,
The Sanford School
  • [email protected]
  • Mail code: 7203
    Campus: Tempe
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Biography Research Teaching Public Work
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Student Information
Graduate Student
Sociology
The College of Lib Arts & Sci

Long Bio

Amina Melendez-Mayfield (she/her) is a PhD candidate in the Sociology program at the Stanford School of Social and Family Dynamics. Her research illuminates Black LGBTQ+ experiences through Patton Simmons’s extension of W.E.B. Du Bois's concept of double consciousness into triple consciousness, emphasizing voices that have historically been silenced within research and broader society. She aims to theorize how educational institutions and identity politics contribute to creating spaces of insecurity and othering. My work also extends to topics such as Black gatekeeping, Black authenticity, and the role of heteronormativity in shaping LGBTQ+ engagement in placemaking. As both a scholar and activist, she believes it is crucial to use research findings to raise awareness, challenge systemic inequalities, and promote positive social change, making the experiences of livable lives shared by Black queer individuals both visible and legible.

Education

B.A . in Sociology; Criminal Justice, Central Michigan University, 2020

M.A. in Justice Studies, Arizona State University, 2022 

CV
Curriculum Vitae
Research Interests

Queer Studies 

Critical Race Theory

Intersectionality 

Families

Whiteness 

Higher Education 

Youth Studies 

Qualitative Methods 

Publications
  • Cotton, C., Melendez-Mayfield, A., Zamora Castro, A., & Flores-González, N. (2024). “Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys:” Views of Monogamy and Non-Monogamy Among Arizona Youth. American Behavioral Scientist, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00027642241284270
  • Paik, L., Melendez-Mayfield, A., 2024. “Public Opinion Survey about Alternatives to Financial Restitution” 
Presentations
  • Joy as Method: Black Queer Placemaking in Higher Education and Family, Association of Black Sociologists Annual Meeting, New York City, NY, August 20226
  • Joy as Method: Black Queer Placemaking in Higher Education and Family, The Society for The Study of Social Problems Annual Meeting, New York City, NY, August 20226
  • Placemaking at the Margins: Black Queer Journeys in Higher Education and Family, Southern Sociological Association Meeting, Jacksonville, FL, April 2026
  • Navigating Pride Festivals While Black and Queer: Arizona Pride Festivals 2023-2024, 120th Annual American Sociological Association Meeting, Chicago, IL, August 2025
  • “Being Black is a challenge… Being gay on top of that, got damn“: Black Queer Women's Experiences in Lower and Higher Educational Settings, 2025 Hawaii International Conference on Education, January 2025
  • Navigating Pride Festivals While Black and Queer: Arizona Pride Festivals 2023-2024,  54th Annual Conference of the Association of Black Sociologists, Montreal, CA, August 2024
  • Black Queer Experiences in Lower and Higher Educational Settings, 119th Annual American Sociological Association Meeting,  Montreal, CA, August 2024
  • Living in The Margins: Afro-LatinX Queer Women's Educational Experiences in Predominantly White Institutions, Spring 2024 ASU Hispanic Research Center (HRC) Graduate Student Poster Competition, Tempe, AZ, April 2024
  • Black Queer Experiences in Lower and Higher Educational Settings, Arizona State University  Institute for Social Science Research Poster Competition, Tempe, AZ, April 2024
  • Unpacking Social Realities: Experiences with Discrimination Among LGBTQ+ Individuals,  95th Annual Pacific Sociological Association Conference, San Diego, CA, March 2024
  • Unpacking Social Realities: Experiences with Discrimination Among LGBTQ+ Individuals, Institute for Social Science Research in the Graduate Student Poster Competition, Arizona State University, November 2023
  • Black Queer Experiences in Lower and Higher Educational Settings, 53rd Annual Conference of The Association of Black Sociologists,  Philadelphia, PA, August 2023
  • “We Are Not Them”;  Youth Attitudes & Experiences with Familial Incarceration, National Children of Incarcerated Parents Conference, Virtual, April 2023 (with Vera Lopez, Heather Griller Clark, Erin Clancy, Marcella Alexander, and Haleigh Branstetter)
  • “We Are Not Them”; Youth Attitudes & Experiences with Familial Incarceration, Teacher Educators of Children with Behavioral Disorders Conference, Tempe, AZ, November 2022 (with Vera Lopez, Heather Griller Clark, Hayley Worrell, Annee Grayson, Erin Clancy, Marcella Alexander, and Haleigh Branstetter)
Honors / Awards
  • Chancellor's Doctoral Incentive Program Dissertation Fellowship ($5,000), California State University, May 2026
  • 2SLGBTQIA+ Leadership Graduate Student Award ($500), Arizona State University, May 2026
  • Cowden Completion Fellowship ($32,553), Arizona State University, April 2026
  • California State University Pre-Professor Program ($1,000), California State University, December 2025 
  • Chancellor's Doctoral Incentive Fellow, California State University, August 2025
  • The Family and Human Dynamics Travel Grant ($600), Arizona State University, February 2026
  • Graduate Student Government Travel Award ($950), Arizona State University, December 2025
  • Graduate Student Government Travel Award ($950), Arizona State University, October 2024
  • Graduate College Travel Award ($300), Arizona State University, May 2024
  • The Family and Human Dynamics Travel Grant ($600), Arizona State University, August 2024
  • Graduate College University Grant ($10,000), Arizona State University, August 2024
  • Institute for Social Science Research, 1st place in the Graduate Student Poster Competition ($1200), Arizona State University, April 2024
  • The College’s Graduate Excellence Award ($100), Arizona State University, March 2024
  • Spring 2024 ASU Hispanic Research Center (HRC) 2nd place in the Graduate Student Poster Competition ($500), Arizona State University, April 2024
  • PSA 2024 Student Travel Grant ($200), March 2024 
  • The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Travel Grant ($280), Arizona State University, July 2023
  • GPSA Travel Grant, Arizona State University ($750), June 2023
  • GPSA Travel Grant ($670), Arizona State University, December 2023
  • Point BIPOC Scholar, Point Foundation, The LGBTQ Scholarship Fund ($1,500), December 2023
  • Institute for Social Science Research, 3rd place in the Graduate Student Poster Competition ($800), Arizona State University, November 2023
  • 2SLGBTQIA+ Leadership Graduate Student Award ($1,000), Arizona State University, April 2023
  • The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 2023-2024 Graduate Excellence Award, Arizona State University, August 2023
  • Graduate College University Grant ($10,000), Arizona State University, August 2023
  • Graduate College Enrichment Fellowship ($21,880), Arizona State University, August 2022
  • Graduate College University Grant ($10,000), Arizona State University, August 2022
  • Graduate College Fellowship ($10,000), Arizona State University, August 2021
Professional Associations
  • American Sociological Association
  • Eastern Sociological Society
  • Southern Sociological Association
  • Association of Black Sociologists
  • Pacific Sociological Association
Service
  • Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA) Social Media Coordinator, Arizona State University, August 2025 - May 2026
  • Center for The Study of Race and Democracy; Charlayne Hunter-Gault Dialogue, Arizona State University, April 2024
  • School of Social and Family Dynamics Graduate Student Association President, Arizona State University, June 2023- June 2024
  • Justice Studies M.S. Representative, Arizona State University, 2021- May 2022
Expertise Areas
African American Studies
Critical Race Theory
Families
Qualitative Methods
Queer Studies
Race and Ethnicity
Race and Racism in Education
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