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Austin Channing Brown    

Racial Justice Advocate & Bestselling Author of "I'm Still Here"

Austin Channing Brown is a media producer, author, and speaker providing inspired leadership on racial justice in America. She is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of "I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness" and the Executive Producer of "The Next Question: A Web Series Imagining How Expansive Racial Justice Can Be." Her workshops are incisive, fun, disarming, and transformative. By using an intentional mix of humor, pop-culture, story-telling, and audience engagement, she awakens people to the current realities of systemic racism and the everyday actions which make it possible. Whether she is being interviewed, lecturing, preaching or leading a workshop, Brown is sure to evoke thought, feeling and action as she celebrates Blackness and the possibility of justice in our organizations, teams and communities.

Her first book, released in May 2018, shot to the top 20 of Amazon’s bestsellers list, leading in its categories for months. "I’m Still Here" has received acclaim from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and such leading voices as Glennon Doyle, Lecrae and Christina Cleveland. It has also been featured in On Being, The Chicago Tribune, Popsugar, BitchMedia, WNYC, The Religion News Service, with Shondaland declaring it “[a] deeply personal celebration of blackness that simultaneously sheds new light on racial injustice and inequality while offering hope for a better future.”

As a media producer, Brown creates content that centers the experiences of Black women, dismantling the foundations of white supremacy, while interweaving a way forward for all who will listen. Her nationally-celebrated first season of "The Next Question" included a slate of incredible contributors including Macarthur Genius Nikole Hannah Jones, NYT bestselling authors Brené Brown and Jasmine Guillory, social justice leaders Rachel Cargle, Andre Henry, and more. Alongside her co-creators, Chi Chi Okwu and Jenny Booth Potter, the hosts examine complex topics affecting social justice while simultaneously celebrating the stories, personalities, and humanity of their guests.

Brown has a Bachelor of Arts in business management from North Park University as well as a Masters of Arts in social justice from Marygrove College in Detroit. Brown’s professional career began in the non-profit sector including homelessness and housing, youth engagement, fund development, and church operations.

Speech Topics


Beyonce Takes Us To Church

This workshop is a celebration of black womanhood. Beyonce is arguably the most well known pop star in the world. Six solo albums into her career, she has released content that is perhaps the most personal exploration of her own identity as a black woman. This workshop will use the visual album Lemonade to explore the themes of history, identity and faith as embodied and experienced by black women in America in the age of #BlackLivesMatter.

This workshop is great for college students, young activists, and groups interested in finding the sacred in the secular.

Length: 1-2 hours

Jesus, Justice & Jay Z

Thank God for Michelle Alexander’s book The New Jim Crow. We will use this text as a foundation for probing racial disparities in the criminal justice system, smashing myths about black criminality, and asking deep questions about our theology. Infused in all of this, we will also celebrate the storytellers of hip-hop who have been teaching us about the criminal justice system for decades. Come prepared to work because we wont just focus on national issues, we are going to talk about local issues too.

This workshop is perfect for church groups, college students, and non-profit groups interested in being introduced to the racial dynamics of the criminal justice system.

Length: 2-4 hours

Walking in Peter’s Shoes

Are you ready to tackle racial justice on a systemic level? In this workshop we will go step by step, analyzing the current state of racial justice in your organization, identifying where you want to be, and begin to lay out an action plan for achieving your goals. Using the book of Acts, we will put ourselves in Peter’s shoes and do the hard work of preparing to move forward in truth, love, and courage.

This workshop is fantastic for church groups and non-profits ready to pursue systemic change.

Length: 4-6 hours

I'm Still Here

Did you love Austin’s book? In this workshop, you will get a live reading, a powerpoint presentation that walks through some important moments in the book, followed by a Q&A to unpack the themes that matter most to participants. We will practice “naming whiteness, celebrating blackness, and in a world still governed by systems of racial oppression, begin to see that there’s another way.”

This workshop is for anyone who enjoyed the book, I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness.

Length: 1.5-2 hours

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