Alyssa Martin '23, a graduate of UNC Charlotte's M.A. in History program, has been awarded the 2025 Master’s Thesis Award in the Fine Arts and Humanities thesis category from the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools (CSGS) for her study, “The ‘Disposable Others’: Settler Colonial Processes of Industrial Pollution in Cancer Alley, Louisiana, 1964-2023.”
Martin, currently a Ph.D. student in History at the University of California, Irvine, notes that “the processes of pollution and industrialization in Cancer Alley (Louisiana) can be seen as a modern extension of settler colonialism, where Black communities are dispossessed of their land and subjected to systemic violence.” She puts this condition in context of the “broader history of racial capitalism, showing how historically Black-owned land was appropriated for industrial use, reinforcing economic and racial inequality.”
Tina Shull, Associate Professor of Public History who served as advisor for Martin’s thesis project said, “By documenting and drawing connections between historical processes of settler colonialism, racial capitalism, environmental racism, and climate change in southern Louisiana, Alyssa's thesis makes new and unique contributions not only to the historical discipline but also to ethnic and environmental studies by theorizing the case of Cancer Alley within a settler colonial context.”
“This groundbreaking master’s thesis research, combined with Alyssa’s overall academic excellence, campus leadership, and dedication to compassionate and community-based environmental justice activism led to her being named one of twenty-nine 2022-23 Rachel Carson Council Campus Fellows, a highly selective and prestigious national fellowship in environmental justice,” Shull added.
“The faculty at UNC Charlotte were the reason why I developed an interest in history in the first place,” Martin said. “They not only cared about how I did inside the classroom but beyond it as well. They cultivated a learning environment that held me to a high standard, but also recognized the pressures of being a student in today's world.”
“Not only was Dr. Shull incredible at guiding me throughout the process of researching and writing the thesis, but she was also a true mentor to me in so many ways. She convinced me to apply for the M.A. program when I was an undergraduate student, then delivered above and beyond in her advisory position by supporting me both inside and outside of academia for almost four years,” said Martin.
The UNC Charlotte Graduate School presents the Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award to recognize the high-quality work of Charlotte graduate students. Charlotte recipients of the Master’s Thesis Award receive $500 plus an engraved plaque and are entered in the regional CSGS Master’s Thesis Award competition.