imani M.Cheers, Ph.D.

I am a cultural curator, multimedia producer, filmmaker and Associate Professor of Digital Storytelling in the School of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.​

As a professor of practice, I uses a variety of mediums including video, photography, television, and film to document and discuss issues impacting and involving people of the African Diaspora. My scholarly focus is on the intersection of women/girls, technology, health, conflict, agriculture, and the effects of climate change in sub-Saharan Africa. I am also an expert on diversity in Hollywood, specifically the representation of Black women in television and film. I am the author of “The Evolution of Black Women in Television: Mammies, Matriarchs, and Mistresses” (Routledge/Taylor & Francis, 2017) and the forthcoming “Sacred Sisterhoods: A Celebration of Black Women’s Friendships in TV & Film, 1993-2023” (The Ohio State University Press, 2025)

I am also a regular contributor for media outlets including ABC, NBC, BBC, Al Jazeera, CGTN America and CTN Canada as a media expert on a variety of issues, specifically, international politics, US race relations and representations of minorities in the media. I have also been featured on ABC and NBC offering insights and perspectives on breaking news and popular culture.

I received my BFA in Photography at Washington University in St. Louis, a Master’s degree in African Studies and Research with a concentration in Women's Studies from Howard University and my doctorate in Mass Communications and Media Studies from Howard​.

I am an avid traveler and spends my time collecting passport stamps with my 10 year old son, Isaiah.