Melina Abdullah


Melina Abdullah is an American academic and civic leader. She is chair of the department of Pan-African Studies at California State University, Los Angeles, and a co-founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter.

Early life and education

Abdullah was born in East Oakland, Oakland, California, U.S. Her father was "a union organizer and self-proclaimed Trotskyist." Her paternal grandfather was Günter Reimann, a marxist economist and German communist who opposed the Nazi regime.
Abdullah graduated from Howard University, where she earned a bachelor's of arts degree in African American Studies. She subsequently earned a Ph.D. and M.A. political science from the University of Southern California.

Activism

Abdullah is a womanist scholar-activist and her academic roles are connected with her activist role in fighting for liberating those who have been exploited many times. She serves on several boards, including , , and .

Career

Abdullah is a tenured professor and the chair of the department of Pan-African Studies at California State University, Los Angeles. She was interviewed in 13th, a 2016 documentary about mass incarceration in the United States.
Abdullah has served on the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission since 2014. She is a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter chapter in Los Angeles, California. She was arrested and released after paying a $20,000 bail in May 2018. Abdullah regularly writes articles for the .
Abdullah is a supporter of Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam.
Abdullah resides in Crenshaw, a neighborhood of Los Angeles. She has three children.