Urban Girl of the Year: Dr. Melina Abdullah
Dr. Melina Abdullah is an organizer within Black Lives Matter-LA (BLMLA) and the Chair of the Pan-African Studies Department at California State University, Los Angeles. She was selected as our “Urban Girl of the Year” for her consistent advocacy, for the last two years, on behalf of unarmed men being killed by police.
Melina Abdullah is the immediate past campus president and current Council for Affirmative Action Chair for the California Faculty Association (the faculty union). Dr. Abdullah earned her Ph.D. from the University of Southern California in Political Science and her B.A. from Howard University in African-American Studies. She was appointed to the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission in 2014 and is a recognized expert on race relations. She is an organizer at the Los Angeles branch of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Dr. Abdullah recently appeared on the Urban Girl Show, where she discussed the importance of learning ethnic (Pan-African) studies and what outcomes the Black Lives Matter movement is looking to achieve. They are demanding an active seat at the table to address the continued killing of unarmed men, specifically in the city of Los Angeles.
Dr. Abdullah further commented on how the demonstrations and disruption tactics being used by BLMLA is highly effective in drawing in a national audience.
Dr. Abdullah is an inspiration to all women who want to have an impact on the community they live in and will leave to their children.
You can donate to the Black Lives Matter movement by clicking here. You can follow Dr. Abdullah on Twitter @DocMellyMel.
