Dr. Iris Leigh Barnes is currently the Curator of the Lillie Carroll Jackson Civil Rights Museum in Baltimore, which is owned by Morgan State University. She earned her doctorate in History with a concentration in African American and Twentieth Century United States History. Her master’s degree in Museum Studies and Historical Preservation, and her bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design and Art Education. She has received numerous awards: the Excellence in Exhibitions and Programming Award from the Maryland Historical Trust, a Diversity Fellowship from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the John Kinard SEMC JIMI Award from the Smithsonian National Museum for African American History and Culture, among them.