Jenn M. Jackson Presents “the Narrative of Sojourner Truth” in conversation w/Alanah Nichole Davis

Alanah Nichole Davis (She/Her) is a Baltimore-raised, award-winning storyteller and social designer. With newsrom experience as a lead reporter covering technology, design, and civic news, she has a knack for simplifying complex topics for a wide audience.

Beyond journalism, Davis is deeply involved in Baltimore’s arts, land stewardship, and youth engagement efforts. Holding an MA in Social Design from Maryland Institute College of Art, she brings broad perspective and imagination to her work.

Known affectionately as Baltimore’s Godmother, Alanah often hosts events, moderates panels, mentors, and speaks publicly, drawing from her identity as a Black woman, human-centered designer, and mother. In her free time, she enjoys sharing crabs with friends, swimming, and savoring a good mocktail.

Davis work can be seen in Next City, Maryland Matters, Baltimore Magazine, Baltimore Banner, Salon, BmoreArt, and so many more.

Jenn M. Jackson (they/them) (@jennmjackson) is a queer androgynous Black woman, an abolitionist, and a lover of all Black people. They are the author of the PEN America Open Book Finalist nonfiction book BLACK WOMEN TAUGHT US (2024) from Penguin Random House and the book POLICING BLACKNESS forthcoming from Cornell University Press in 2027. Jackson was a long-time columnist at Teen Vogue, penning articles on Blackness, intersectionality, racism, politics and culture in the United States. They were also a columnist at Yes! Magazine focusing on gender and sexuality, Black Feminism, and politics. Jackson has been published at Al Jazeera, Washington Post, Marie Claire, Ebony Magazine, The Root, among many others. Jackson was the editor-in-chief of Black Youth Project’s digital magazine from 2015 to 2017 and is now the interim EIC at the same publication. In 2021, Jackson participated in the Hurston-Wright Writer’s Weekend for nonfiction writers with Imani Perry where they worked on their forthcoming memoir.

Academically, Jackson’s research is in Black Politics with a focus on racial threat and trauma, gender and sexuality, Black Politics and Feminisms, and social movements. Jackson received their doctoral degree in Political Science at the University of Chicago in 2019. They are a native of Oakland, CA and will always represent their city.