Judith Becker Kyra Danielle Gaunt is an African American ethnomusicologist, Black girlhood studies advocate, social media researcher, feminist performance artist,[2] and professor at the University at Albany in New York State.

[1] Notable abolitionist author Josiah Henson was enslaved in Rockville and there is some evidence that religious leader Father Divine may have been born there.

[10][11][12] According to Gaunt, double-dutch was innovated by young African American girls in urban areas after World War II.

[1] Gaunt spoke at the 2015 TEDx East in New York City about the challenges and misconceptions behind the net worth and value of young black and African American girls who twerk on YouTube.

[19] In 2018, Kyra appeared in a video for the TED Design series Small Thing, Big Idea, where she used her research to discuss how the jump rope got its rhythm.

[20][21] Gaunt was featured in a short documentary ad for the Nokia Connecting People campaign that showed the impact of TED Fellows around the world.

[17] Her exploration centers around the basic examination and concealed musicianship in dark young ladies' melodic play at the crossing points of race, sexual orientation, and the body in the time of hip-bounce.

In 2019, Gaunt was invited to speak at the University of Miami to present her research on the racial oppression and sexploitation of young, black girls who appear in YouTube videos.