Randolph Joins Sister Peace for UW Open Scholarship Commons Fireside Chat on the Legacy of Frederick Douglass
Posted: 2/19/2026 (CSDE Research)
CSDE Affiliate Matthew Randolph (American Ethnic Studies) recently joined Sister Peace, an ordained nun in Thich Nhat Hanh’s Order of Interbeing to discuss Frederick Douglass and his scholarly journey. The conversation can be viewed here and centers on Randolph’s time researching Frederick Douglass and how Randolph’s scholarly journey both mirrors and has been shaped by his personal relationship to Douglass’s life and work. Randolph and Sister Peace also reflect on Randolph’s experience as a Black scholar engaging deeply with Black intellectual history, including the opportunities, responsibilities, and challenges that come with this work. The program features a 45-minute moderated conversation, followed by a 15-minute audience Q&A and was sponsored by the UW Libraries, the Department of American Ethnic Studies, and The Center for Advancements in Libraries, Museums, and Archives (CALMA).
Matthew (Matt) Alexander Randolph is an Assistant Professor of African American Studies in the Department of American Ethnic Studies at the University of Washington in Seattle. After graduating with a BA in History and Spanish at Amherst College, Matt received MA and PhD degrees in History from Stanford University, where he served as a graduate fellow for the Department of African & African American Studies and traveled to France as an exchange student at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris.
Building on his dissertation (Harboring Freedom: African American Migration and Imperial Rivalries in Samaná Bay, 1822-1871), Matt is writing his first book on the transplantation and transformation of Black identity that took place as part of nineteenth-century Haitian emigration initiatives. In the pursuit of citizenship and prosperity otherwise unimaginable in the antebellum United States, African American migrants relocated to Haiti and (re)created a sense of home as stewards of the land and water of the Samaná peninsula (in what is now the Dominican Republic). This research engages with and contributes to several fields and discourses, including Black Geographies/Ecologies, Caribbean Studies, Pan-Africanism, Black Internationalism, and Afrofuturism.
Sister Peace is an ordained nun in Thich Nhat Hanh’s Order of Interbeing. She appears in the 2017 film “Walk With Me” under her monastic name—Sr. An Nghiem—and was profiled in Lion’s Roar by Zen teacher Koun Franz.
Born in Washington, D.C., and educated in Catholic schools, Sister Peace graduated from Georgetown University. She built up a successful nail salon business and entered local politics, working on Anthony Willams’ campaign for mayor of Washington and in his administration.
Practicing with the Washington Mindfulness Community, she met Thich Nhat Hanh when she assisted with a meditation retreat he led for the U.S. Congress. In 2006, she went to Plum Village to deepen her understanding of what a nun’s life entailed, and her ordination took place in 2008.
She has had many roles in the Plum Village community, including organizing retreats in Europe, Asia, Liberia, South Africa, and the US, as well as press and PR for the community. Link to bio: https://www.sfzc.org/teachers/sister-peace