Marisa Kennedy

Pronouns: she/they
Email: mdkenned@usc.edu
Advisor: Kara Keeling

Marisa Kennedy is a graduate student in Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Southern California. Prior to joining USC, Marisa received an MA in Social Justice & Community Organizing from Prescott College. Their past research explored the mechanisms behind media’s delegitimization of Black women and femme activists fighting for social justice, and she continues to deepen her investigations of media as a culturally producing institution. Marisa is interested in Black people’s changing desires regarding visibility and is currently researching how these political investments in representation show up in scripted television. She is also interested in cultural legacies of and Black resistance to surveillance which dovetails with her visibility research. In addition to her academic pursuits, Marisa has a background in acting (Broadway and TV) and works as a writer and consultant for the television industry. More about that work can be found on their website www.marisakennedy.com