You need to know where you live. This means knowing the history of your people AND how the society you live in functions (historically and presently). Black people have so much history & knowledge that has been erased, intentionally hidden or distorted by white supremacist narratives. That’s what makes it even more important for those of us who do know this information to pass it along. That’s what I hope to do…
Toya Thomas is a North Carolina based social scientist, educator, and organizer. She has over a decade of experience utilizing sociological and criminological knowledge to center Black people and other historically marginalized groups in her research and organizing. She seeks to de-mystify society’s structures and provide the tools necessary to create a world that affirms all lives, but especially Black ones.
An abolitionist praxis is at the heart of her professional and community work, with a specific focus on how systems of harm impact the most marginalized in society and what measure(s) can be taken to replace them with “life affirming institutions.”
Her research and public sociology has been featured by Impakter, Children’s Defense Fund, NC Sociological Association, and Bristol University Press (upcoming). Her work explores social inequality involving Black MaGes, children, incarcerated folks and other marginalized populations. She is also a member of Triad Abolition Project (TAP), the American Sociological Association (ASA), and the NC Sociological Association (NCSA).
