About

Donna Auston is an anthropologist, writer, and public intellectual whose body of work focuses on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, protest and social movements, media representation, and Islam in America.  She is currently completing her dissertation at Rutgers University, an ethnography of Black Muslim activism and spiritual protest in the Black Lives Matter era.  Her written work includes book chapters on the historical contributions of African American Muslims in the arts, culture, and social justice movements, a journal article on Black Muslims, Spirituality, Protest in the post-Ferguson Era, and a forthcoming co-authored chapter on Black Muslims & U.S. Politics. She has also published a number of short essays, including, “Mapping the Intersections of Islamophobia and #BlackLivesMatter: Unearthing Black Muslim Life and Activism in the Policing Crisis,” “The Ground on Which I Stand: Foundations for a Righteous Masculinity,” and “Recalled to Life: On the Meaning and Power of a Die-In.” Her expertise as a public speaker provides her with the opportunity to address diverse audiences across a spectrum of venues, including academics and university groups, K-12 students, journalists, community activists, as well as corporate and professional gatherings.  In addition, she is a regular guest of local and national media outlets, she has penned op-eds for Al Jazeerah English and the Washington Post, and her work has been covered by NBC News and the Huffington Post. Donna has also been named one of the top 100 Muslim Social Justice leaders by MPower Change.