CU Denver alumnus Shawn Trenell O’Neal earned his Ph.D. in Critical Ethnic Studies from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2022 and has remained to teach in the Ethnic Studies Department. Despite these achievements in higher education, Dr. O’Neal did not always plan on a career in academia. Before he moved to Denver and began attending CU as an undergrad in 2009, he traveled the world as an international DJ and found his life in music. Once in school, he found faculty members in the history and ethnic studies departments who encouraged his academic studies and inspired him to continue—at the same time, he found he could also bring music into his research. As he got deeper into his studies, Dr. O’Neal realized, “This is the only path for me.” As a man of African descent living in the United States, O’Neal believes that he owes it to his ancestors—and to America’s national identity—to continue his interdisciplinary research. At CU Denver he earned both his BA (2012) and MA (2016) in history.

In his dissertation, Dr. O’Neal created the interdisciplinary and theoretical concept of “Audio Intersectionality.” Founded on black feminist and black queer theory, Audio Intersectionality posits that through sound, music, and performance, marginalized people express herstories and histories, self-narratives, traumas, and celebrations regarding race, gender, and sexuality. O’Neal arrived at the concept because he, as a DJ, had unknowingly engaged with it his entire life. O’Neal is converting his dissertation into a manuscript for publication in a book. Additionally, O’Neal is also contributing to the Lyripeutics Storytelling Project alongside his colleagues at Boulder. The goal of the project is to develop new pedagogical approaches to learning environments that are steeped in hip-hop based education and cultural literacies. O’Neal and his colleagues aim to help BIPOC youth learn “wellness narratives that are endogenous to the cultural communities they traverse” through the artistic practice of hip-hop as a storytelling tool.

Not one to let the grass grow under his feet, Dr. O’Neal is also very active in his community. Recently, he assisted in creating a recording studio for Manual High School in East Denver. The Manual High School Rap Lab follows in the footsteps of CU Boulder’s own Rap Lab, and it aims to help broaden students’ horizons by offering various educational workshops. Dr. O’Neal is also a regular contributor and performer for Pulsing Equis, a collaborative performance with his colleague Lau Malaver, that uses sound, music, performance, and movement to deconstruct marginalization and oppression in a colonized society. Previous iterations of Pulsing Equis were held in Boulder’s ATLAS Black Box Theater and in the Denver Art Museum on October 29, 2021. Dr. O’Neal plans to incorporate African American silent films into this year’s performance.

After successfully defending his dissertation, CU Boulder hired Dr. O’Neal as an Assistant Teaching Professor. He greatly enjoys teaching and creating courses about African and African American experiences. Compared to places like Chicago or Detroit, Colorado lacks an established tradition for African American scholarship. Dr. O’Neal believes that Colorado is an “open space” in this regard, and “people are ready to listen.” As he spearheads community programs, musical experiences, and new fields of scholarship, Dr. O’Neal encourages CU Denver’s aspiring historians to do the same. “The work they’re doing right now at this very pivotal moment of global society could not be more important. We are at a crossroads and it is important to share these stories and to talk about the truth.”