Melina Abdullah
Acting Chair and Associate Professor
Office: King Hall B3024
Telephone: (323) 343-2294
Email: mabdull2@calstatela.edu

Melina Abdullah is Acting Chair and Associate Professor of Pan-African Studies at California State University, Los Angeles. She earned her Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Southern California in Political Science and her B.A. from Howard University in African American Studies.

Her research focuses on power allocation and societal transformation. Abdullah has authored several articles and book chapters, including "The Emergence of a Black Feminist Leadership Model,” “Hip Hop as Political Expression," "Self-Defined Leadership Among Black Women," "Capitalistic Hands around My Throat: Corporate Control and the Erosion of Hip Hop’s Womanist Roots," "Pushing and Pulling Towards Coalition: African Americans and the Election of Antonio Villaraigosa," and "Towards a Womanist Leadership Praxis: Electoral/Grassroots Alliances in Black California."

She is currently working on her first book, Move the Crowd: Hip Hop and Political Mobilization.

Abdullah defines herself as a womanist, scholar-activist – recognizing that the role that she plays in the academy is intrinsically linked to broader struggles for the liberation of oppressed people.

Melina resides in mid-city Los Angeles with her husband, Phaylen Abdullah, a teacher and filmmaker, and daughters Thandiwe and Amara.