Lois Brown, PhD is Foundation Professor of English at Arizona State University and director of the university’s Center for the Study of Race and Democracy. A graduate of Duke University and of Boston College, she is a public historian, a published scholar and an award-winning teacher of African American literature, history and culture whose groundbreaking research reshapes our understanding of race, class, gender, faith, and place in America. The ASU Center that she directs is the only entity at ASU and in the state of Arizona that positions race and democracy in direct relation with each other. Brown is committed to programming, partnerships and outreach that enable purposeful collaboration, impactful research and inspired action related to race and democracy.