Kim Akano is a first-year doctoral student in the Religion in America subfield pursuing a certificate in African American Studies. Using social scientific and historical methods, Kim examines how the increasing presence of African immigrants in the United States transforms contemporary conceptualizations of Black religious identities. In particular, Kim considers how religion and migration influence the lived experiences of post-1965 Nigerian immigrants within a racialized U.S. context as they negotiate questions of race, place, and belonging.

Kim joined the Department of Religion after completing her Master of Divinity in 2020 at Emory University with dual concentrations in Religion and Race and Theology and Ethics. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Rice University, after which she worked for a faith-based non-profit organization seeking to support the work of local pastors and faith leaders in Minneapolis, MN. Kim is a recipient of Princeton’s President’s Fellowship, and her work is supported by the Department of African American Studies at Princeton.