Dr. Alesondra (Alex) Christmas Stapleton is an organizer, educator, and artist-scholar dedicated to social change and justice. She earned her PhD in Dance Studies at The Ohio State University and currently serves as the Program Manager of the Women+ of Color Equity Design Institute at Zora's House in Columbus, OH. Dr. Alex co-founded Thick Like Me, a dance-based non-profit that centers thick Black women in dance and supports body liberation within the dance community and beyond. Her scholarship focuses on the nuances of racism and intersectional oppression in the performing arts, particularly Racial Battle Fatigue in Black women dance educators. Dr. Alex has presented at several national and international conferences, including the Dance Studies Association, Collegium for African Diaspora Dance, Ohio Dance Festival, and Association for Theatre in Higher Education.