Hi! Im Austin
I used to tease my parents about my career, declaring that my path was marked for me the moment they decided my name. How could a midwest, Black girl named Austin do anything but be committed to the work of justice for Black women and all communities marginalized by systemic discrimination?
That commitment has been fortified over years of speaking, educating and writing about race in America. A colleague once warned me that if I gained a reputation for always talking about race, that would be the only way people saw me. He was right, but I have no regrets. In some ways, with that warning ringing in my ears, I knew there was nothing else in this world more important to me than uplifting the humanity of those most marginalized by systems and structures not made for us.
If that’s your passion, too, I cant wait to work together.
(*Keep scrolling for my official bio)
Transformative Speaker
My work is rooted in the social location of my aunties and grandmothers- working class, Black women, born in the midwest but raised by southern folks, descendants of the enslaved, who remained in the neighborhoods where they were raised.
When I get up to speak, those are the women I represent. Those are the women who guide my learning. Those are the women who guide my speaking. I am able to show up as myself- passionate, honest, authentic and willing to believe that it’s not too late for us to change the world together.
Whether we are in an arena full of teenagers, a boardroom with six executives, a book festival with hundreds of participants or a sanctuary open to the entire community, you’re going to meet the same Austin. My highest aim is to be helpful, to offer deep clarity and the kind of disruption that spurs the imagination and makes us all want to be better… do better in honoring our shared humanity.
Bestselling Author
One of my guiding principles as a writer comes from Ntozake Shange who said, “I write for young girls of color, for girls who don’t even exist yet, so that there is something there for them when they arrive.”
I am writing for the women, for the girls who are still arriving at themselves. Thus far I have written three books and contributed to two anthologies. It is my greatest hope that I will be able to write as long I live, and that when I am gone, my books will live on.
Professional Bio
Austin Channing Brown is an author and speaker providing inspired leadership on racial justice in America. She started her writing career on her blog during the Black Lives Matter era, garnering hundreds of thousands of readers who anticipated her compelling writing every week. In 2018, she released her first book, The New York Times bestselling I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. This book proved to meet the cultural zeitgeist in America, from being chosen for Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club to being a featured plot point on the second season of BelAir, where it gave rise to a protest for Black students in a predominately white school.
Austin then wrote a young readers version of Im Still Here, and contributed essays to two anthologies, Hungry Hearts and You Are Your Best Thing. The latter was also a New York Times bestseller, edited by Tarana Burke and Brene Brown.
In 2025, Austin released Full of Myself: Black Womanhood and the Journey to Self-Possession. When she started writing Full of Myself, Austin had no idea it would release during a time when Black women were purposefully pushed out of DEI programs, university positions and government roles. And yet, this book, which opens with a story of being fired, continues to meet the moment. It became a USA Today bestseller.
Austin earned 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. In 2024, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Oakland University in Michigan. She has also been given a Key to the City in her hometown, Toledo, OH.
She is already working on her next writing project, an exploration of the 1960s riots in the midwest. This next project will continue to cement her as an important voice on the pursuit of Black freedom in the U.S.
Awards, Accolades, & Education
Bachelors in business management
Masters in social justice
Honorary Doctorate, Oakland University
New York Times bestseller
USA Today bestsellers
Key to the City, Toledo, Ohio
Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick
Book featured in Bel-Air season two
Get In Touch
If you're interested in working with Austin, contact her speaking agency, Lyceum today.