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Akilah R. Carter-Francique, assistant professor in the Prairie View A&M University Department of Health and Kinesiology, will deliver the Western Illinois University College of Education and Human Services' eighth annual Cheryl J. Cohen Lecture Tuesday, Oct. 18 on Western's Macomb campus. Carter-Francique will present, "Sings of Freedom: Examining the Experiences and Contributions of Black Women in Sport" at 7 p.m. in the University Union Grand Ballroom. The lecture is open free to the public.
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Provided to WIU through an endowment from Cheryl Cohen, WIU kinesiology professor emeritus, the Cheryl J. Cohen Lecture is the first endowed lecture series for the College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) at Western. It is scheduled to occur during fall semesters and kicked off its inaugural year in 2008.
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8th Annual Cohen Lecture: "Sings of Freedom: Examining the Experiences and Contributions of Black Women in Sport" Set for Oct. 18

October 12, 2016

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MACOMB, IL – Akilah R. Carter-Francique, assistant professor in the Prairie View A&M University Department of Health and Kinesiology, will deliver the Western Illinois University College of Education and Human Services' eighth annual Cheryl J. Cohen Lecture Tuesday, Oct. 18 on Western's Macomb campus.

Carter-Francique is the co-founder (with Deniece Dortch, a post-doctoral research associate in the University of Utah's College of Education) and director of "Sista to Sista," a co-curricular leadership development program designed to foster a sense of connection among black female college athletes. She has authored a number of journal articles and book chapters, presented her scholarship nationally and internationally and maintains affiliations with such organizations as the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS), the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) and the College Sport Research Institute (CSRI).

The focus of the annual Cohen Lecture alternates between exercise physiology and sport psychology. This year, Carter-Francique will present, "Sings of Freedom: Examining the Experiences and Contributions of Black Women in Sport" at 7 p.m. in the University Union Grand Ballroom. The lecture is open free to the public.

Provided to WIU through an endowment from Cheryl Cohen, WIU kinesiology professor emeritus, the Cheryl J. Cohen Lecture is the first endowed lecture series for the College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) at Western. It is scheduled to occur during fall semesters and kicked off its inaugural year in 2008.

"Although Cheryl retired in 2006 after nearly 30 years of service, with her endowment, she continues to provide Western's kinesiology faculty, staff and undergraduate and graduate students, as well as community members, with a preeminent learning opportunity on Western's Macomb campus via the leading scholars and experts who deliver the Cohen Lecture," said Dana Moon, director of marketing and community relations for the COEHS.

In 2016, Carter-Francique co-authored "Cultivating Achievement, Respect and Empowerment (CARE) for African American Girls in PreK-12 Settings: Implications for Access, Equity and Achievement, a book in the "Contemporary Perspectives on Access, Equity, and Achievement" series published by Information Age Publishing. She also co-authored (with Joyce Olushola) the chapter "Women Coaches of Color: Examining the Effects of Intersectionality" in "Women in Sports Coaching," published by Routledge (United Kingdom) this year.

In 2009, she served as a certified track and field official for the United States Track and Field Association (USATF), and in 2004, she coached level I track and field for the USATF. Prior to joining the faculty at Prairie View A&M University, she was an assistant professor at Texas A&M University (2008-2016).

Carter-Francique earned her doctorate in sports studies from the University of Georgia in 2008 and her master's degree in kinesiology-exercise science from the University of Georgia in 2004. In her undergraduate work, she completed a double major in kinesiology-exercise science and psychology, earning bachelor's degrees in both disciplines from the University of Houston in 2000.

For more information, contact Moon at (309) 298-1690 or via email at DM-Moon@wiu.edu.

Posted By: Teresa Koltzenburg (WIUNews@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing