Sexual Assault Victim Advocate & Board Member of DC Rape Crisis Center

Washington, DC, USA
Live Event: $5,000 - $10,000 Virtual Event: $5,000 - $10,000 More Fee Info

Kassie M. Edwards Biography

Kassie M. Edwards is a museum professional, cultural researcher, and advocate whose work bridges scholarship, preservation, and public engagement. She currently serves as a Research Assistant at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), where she has spent nearly a decade researching and documenting African American visual art. Her expertise includes provenance research, acquisition justification, and curatorial support for significant exhibitions, with a particular focus on artists who created under the constraints of enslavement.

Edwards’s contributions have shaped more than 100 acquisitions for the museum’s collection and supported landmark projects such as Clementine Hunter: Life on Melrose Plantation and the Explore More! Google 3D Interactive initiative. She has helped organize and moderate high-profile public programs, including Smithsonian symposiums Making African America: Immigration and the Changing Dynamics of Blackness and Working Women: The Smithsonian Institution as a Case Study. Her research has been published in "Beauty Born of Struggle: The Art of Black Washington" (Yale University Press, 2023) and presented internationally at institutions such as the Museum Association of the Caribbean and the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.

A dedicated advocate for survivors of sexual violence, Edwards serves as Fundraising Chair for the DC Rape Crisis Center. She was recognized by the Obama-Biden White House as a Champion of Change under the Violence Against Women Act, honoring her leadership and public service. Her story and expertise have been featured by CBS, BET, Voice of America, and the Washington Post.

Edwards has received numerous honors, including the Forty Under 40 Award from the Prince George’s County Social Innovation Fund, the Zella Holbert Alumni Award from Washington Adventist University, and the Aspiring Legends Award from the Living Legends Awards for Service to Humanity.

She holds a BA in African American Studies from Florida State University, an MA in Public Administration from Washington Adventist University, and a certification in Art and Provenance Research from the Sotheby’s Institute of Art. In addition to her work in cultural preservation, Edwards is deeply committed to advancing policies, resources, and public awareness that support survivors and work toward the prevention of sexual assault.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 08/12/2025.

Kassie M. Edwards Speaking Topics

  • Enslaved Black Artists: A Peculiar Situation

    A research-based exploration into the overlooked contributions of enslaved African and African American artists in the 18th and 19th centuries. Topics include:

    African Origins of Art – Tracing the earliest artistic expressions to Africa and challenging Eurocentric art history narratives.

    Intersection of Slavery and Art – How the transatlantic slave trade brought skilled African artisans to the Americas, reshaping cultural and artistic landscapes.

    Profiles of Enslaved Artists – Case studies of Prince Demah, Scipio Moorhead, the Fleet brothers, Neptune Thurston, Joshua Johnson, and Moses Williams.

    Creativity in Bondage – The concept of “Coercive Arts” and “Creative Coercism” to describe works produced under enslavement.

    Updating the Canon – Advocating for intentional inclusion of enslaved artists in academic curricula, museum interpretation, and art history discourse.

  • Why We Blame the Victim: Societal Psychoanalysis

    Victim blaming occurs when the victim of a crime or any wrongful act is held entirely or partially responsible for the harm that befell them. There is a greater tendency to blame victims of rape than victims of robbery in cases where victims and perpetrators know one another.

    Racial Stereotypes: A report from the American Psychological Association shows that: "Teachers sometimes … hold beliefs that girls of color are 'hypersexual'."

    Amelioration or Behavioral Forecasting Bias: People consistently think that it's easier to stand up for yourself than it actually is.

    Vulnerability: Victims threaten our sense that the world is a safe and moral place

    Derogation: Locating the cause of their suffering in their own behavior, but not in their enduring characteristics, in an effort to make negative events seem more controllable and therefore more avoidable in the future.

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Kassie M. Edwards Videos

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  • What topics does Kassie M. Edwards speak about?

    Kassie M. Edwards is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Black Heritage, Black History Month, Civil Rights, Culture, Overcoming Adversity, Sexual Assault Recovery, Social Activism, Social Justice
  • Where does Kassie M. Edwards travel from?

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Kassie M. Edwards is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Enslaved Black Artists: A Peculiar Situation, Why We Blame the Victim: Societal Psychoanalysis, Stereotypes of Rape Victims and Rapists and Combating Victim Blaming. The estimated speaking fee range to book Kassie M. Edwards for your event is available upon request. Kassie M. Edwards generally travels from Washington, DC, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Anita Hill, Tarana Burke, Dr. Kimberly Harden, Tiffani Brooke Fest and Zerlina Maxwell. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Kassie M. Edwards for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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