Monique W. Couvson

Monique W. Couvson, Ed.D. is an award-winning author and social justice scholar with three decades of experience in the areas of education, civil rights, juvenile and social justice. Dr. Couvson is the Executive Producer and co-writer of the 2019 documentary film, PUSHOUT: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools, based on her two books "Sing A Rhythm, Dance A Blues: Education for the Liberation of Black and Brown Girls" and "Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools." She is also the author of "Cultivating Joyful Learning Spaces for Black Girls," "Black Stats: African Americans by the Numbers in the Twenty-First Century," and "Too Beautiful for Words." She also worked with Kemba Smith on her book, "Poster Child: The Kemba Smith Story" and has authored dozens of articles exploring race, gender, justice, and education.

Dr. Couvson is the Founder and President of the National Black Women’s Justice Institute (NBWJI), an organization that works to interrupt school-to-confinement pathways for girls, reduce the barriers to employment for formerly incarcerated women, and increase the capacity of organizations working to reduce sexual assault and domestic violence in African American communities. Her work has been profiled by MSNBC, CSPAN2, The Washington Post, TED, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, NPR, and PBS, among several other media outlets. She also frequently lectures on the life and legacy of the artist Prince.