About Matt Simmons

I completed my Ph.D. in history from the University of Florida, where I served as a graduate coordinator in the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program and taught courses in the History Department and the Writing Program. My manuscript, “Growing a Movement," explores the process of building a cohesive, interracial movement for economic justice among marginalized black and white tenant farmers and sharecroppers during the Great Depression in the Arkansas Delta and surrounding region. I completed my B.A. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and an M.A. in History at the University of Tulsa. My research interests include social movements, rural poverty, civil rights, Florida history, and Southern history. I have conducted & processed numerous oral histories with individuals from diverse backgrounds including farmworkers and civil rights activists. I am particularly interested in breaking down barriers between academe and local communities. My most recent public-facing publication is here: https://www.c21uwm.com/2023/03/29/redefining-community-the-southern-tenant-farmers-union-in-the-arkansas-delta/