She is an expert in applying Black feminist and critical race approaches to the study and teaching of Classics.

[3][4] After graduating, she taught at Luther College (Decorah, Iowa) from 1977 until 1978, and subsequently Howard University (Washington, D.C.) from 1979 to 1985.

[14] She has described the difficulties of her early career and the process by which she became interested in race in the classical world through teaching students about Cleopatra and researching 19th-century African-American classicists.

[18] Haley's assertion in the documentary that her grandmother told her that Cleopatra was black was criticized, though she also stated that "We don't know her exact racial heritage.

[27][28] Haley has published and presented widely on Cleopatra, Black Feminist Pedagogy, and the impact of a classical education on African-American women.