Blair Imani

Blair Imani, born Blair Elizabeth Brown on October 31, 1993, is an American author, historian, and educator. She graduated from San Marino High School in 2012 and later earned a degree in history from Louisiana State University (LSU) in 2015. During her time at LSU in 2014, Imani founded Equality for HER, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing resources and a platform for women and nonbinary individuals. Her career also includes serving as a Press Officer for Planned Parenthood Action Fund in 2016 and as the Civic Action & Campaign Lead at DoSomething, a technology company focused on youth and social change.

Imani gained public recognition for her involvement with the Black Lives Matter movement, including her unlawful arrest during protests following the shooting of Alton Sterling in 2016. She actively protested Executive Order 13769. She converted to Islam in 2015 and publicly came out as queer in 2017 during an appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight, a moment that garnered significant media attention and led to both support and threats. Her scholarship focuses on intersectionality, gender studies, race and racism, sociology, and United States history. She has shared her expertise as a public speaker at institutions such as Oxford and Harvard.

As an author, Imani has published several books, including “Modern HERstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History” (2018), which spotlights overlooked figures in social justice, and “Making Our Way Home: The Great Migration and the Black American Dream” (2020), an illustrated history book. She also authored the Los Angeles Times bestselling book, “Read This to Get Smarter: About Race, Class, Gender, Disability, & More” (2021). Since 2020, Imani has been widely recognized for creating and hosting the viral web series, “Smarter in Seconds,” which provides concise educational content on various social topics.