Each year, the Department of Geography and Urban Studies holds the Benjamin H. Kohl Social Justice Lecture in honor of our colleague and friend, Professor Ben Kohl, whose commitment to social justice permeated all aspects of his life from the academy to liberation struggles in Bolivia.

Dr. Finney is a writer, performer and cultural geographer. In particular, she explores how issues of difference impacts participation in decision-making processes designed to address environmental issues. More broadly she likes to trouble our theoretical and methodological edges that shape knowledge production and determine whose knowledge counts. She is grounded in both artistic and intellectual ways of knowing - she pursued an acting career for eleven years, but a backpacking trip around the world and living in Nepal changed the course of her life. Motivated by these experiences, she returned to school after a 15-year absence to complete a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D.  She has appeared on the Tavis Smiley show, MSNBC, NPR and has been interviewed for numerous newspapers and magazines. She served on the U.S. National Parks Advisory Board working to assist the National Park Service in engaging in relations of reciprocity with diverse communities. Her first book, Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors was released in 2014 (UNC Press).