Selected Works
Scholarly Publications & Teaching Materials
Brown, Ahmmad, and Ty-Juana L. Flores
"'Both-And' Support for Black Students: Belonging and Cross-Racial Interaction through Race-Specific Programming."
Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice (2024): 1-13.
Studies show that students at mostly White colleges often stick to their own racial groups, with Black students in particular having fewer interactions across racial lines. To help improve this, researchers analyzed the Black Scholars Initiative (BSI) at the Berklee College of Music, a program designed to foster positive cross-racial interactions and a sense of belonging. The study found that programs like BSI can help Black students feel connected to their peers and the whole campus, which helps them grow and succeed. Full text available upon request.
Ninh, Amie, and Ahmmad Brown
"A Leader's Choice: DEI Paradigms and the Consequences of Misalignment."
Organization Development Review 56.4 (2024): 61-70.​​​
The field of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) operates under different ways of thinking, or paradigms. This paper identifies four DEI paradigms in research and, through interviews with 16 tech industry DEI leaders, examines how they apply these in practice. While DEI leaders can integrate multiple approaches, their organizations often lack the same flexibility and understanding. This misalignment creates challenges in setting expectations and executing DEI efforts. The paper also discusses what this means for DEI leaders and organizations moving forward, highlighting the impact of these gaps on DEI work.
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Brown, Ahmmad and Ritu Tripathi
Global Firm and Local Labor: Delivering Paid Parental Leave*
William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan (2024)
A case for classroom instruction that highlights the challenges of implementing equity-focused policies at global scale in the context of implementing a paid parental leave policy.​
*First Place Winner; 2024 William Davidson Institute DEI Global Case Writing Competition
Interviews
Interview with Ahmmad Brown & Ritu Tripathi on DEI Global Case Writing Competition Win
Northwestern MSLOC Knowledge Exchange Blog
An interview with me and my co-author about how our case study can be used and applied.
Brown, Tripathi Take First Place in Case Competition
Northwestern School of Education and Social Policy News
A piece about my win in the 2024 William Davidson Institute DEI Global Case Writing Competition, highlighting how paid parental leave can prevent losing women in the workforce.
How Reviewing Tools for Adult Education Ties to DEI
Northwestern MSLOC Knowledge Exchange Blog
A discussion about my experience as a reviewer for the Future Finder Challenge, a U.S. Department of Education initiative to reimagine career navigation for adult learners.
What to Say When You Don’t Know What to Say
The Intersection Podcast
An interview about effective strategies for communicating about DEI and the power of communication to support inclusion and anti-racism.
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Opinion Articles in Forbes
Allyship Is A Starting Place, Not An End Goal
A profile of two leaders who have embraced allyship in their organizations, with encouraging results.
Dialogue — Not Debate — Can Help DEI Efforts During Times Of Crisis
A look into how DEI practitioners are responding to the violence in the Middle East.
Blaming The DEI Industry For Failures Misses The Point
An analysis of how common criticisms of DEI often over-generalize DEI work and minimize leader accountability.
Why Communicating Organizational Identity Is The First Step To Get Belonging Right In The Workplace
An explanation of why truly understanding “belonging” is essential to DEI work.
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Additional Writing
Undergraduate Thesis at Swarthmore College (2007)​
My undergraduate thesis for my double major in Sociology + Anthropology and Japanese, takes a deep dive into hip-hop culture in Japan. Writing this helped shape my approach to equity and inclusion by deepening my understanding of how inequality appears in different spaces. It also showed me how people respond to their experiences of inequality—both by empowering themselves and standing in solidarity with others who face similar challenges in different contexts. Read introduction | Full text (PDF)
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