Dr. Melina Abdullah (@docmellymel) is a professor and the former chair of the Department of Pan-African Studies at Cal State University, Los Angeles. She is an activist, an organizer, a scholar, and a mother. And Dr. Melina co-founded BLM Los Angeles the night that George Zimmerman was acquitted of the charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter after the murder of Treyvon Martin.\xa0
Dr. Melina is a recognized expert on race, gender, class, and social movements. She is the author of numerous scholarly articles and book chapters, with subjects ranging from political coalition building to womanist mothering.\xa0