Maria Franklin is an archaeologist who researches the histories of African diasporic peoples in the U.S. She graduated with her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and is currently an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Texas, Austin. She has recently authored or co-authored articles on the archaeology of Black lifeways and community-based research in American Antiquity, Historical Archaeology, and the Journal of Community Archaeology & Heritage, among other outlets. Franklin is currently working with African American communities in Denton County, Texas, as part of an archaeological project funded by the Texas Department of Transportation.