Pathways to Liberation

Monique Couvson, Ed.D.

Grantmakers for Girls of Color

Monique Couvson, Ed.D. (formerly Monique W. Morris) is an award-winning author and social justice scholar with three decades of experience in the areas of education, civil rights, juvenile and criminaljustice. Dr. Couvson is the President and CEO of Grantmakers for Girls of Color, the nation’s premier philanthropic intermediary exclusively focused on resourcing movements and organizations led by, and in support of, cis and trans girls and young femmes of color. Under her leadership, G4GC has developed four signature funds, including: the Black Girl Freedom Fund, which as part of the #1Billion4BlackGirls campaign seeking to mobilize $1 billion in investments centering Black girls over the next 10 years; the New Songs Rising Initiative for Indigenous Girls in partnership with the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples; the Holding A Sister Initiative for Trans Girls of Color with the Black Trans Fund; and G4GC’s general grantmaking fund, Love is Healing. Since April 2020, G4GC has granted more than $25 million to nearly 300 organizations located across all 50 states, Washington, DC, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

Dr. Couvson is the author of six books, including Cultivating Joyful Learning Spaces for Black Girls: Insights into Interrupting School Pushout (ASCD, 2022) and the forthcoming book Charisma’s Turn The New Press, 2023), a graphic novel about supporting girls who stand in their gifts. She is Executive Producer and writer for the documentary short film, “In Conversation: The Power of Imagination,” which features a discussion between Dr. Couvson and the world-renowned poet Dr. Nikki Giovanni. Dr. Couvson is also an Executive Producer and co- writer of the documentary film, “PUSHOUT: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools” (currently streaming on Amazon Prime, Vudu, Plex, and other platforms). This film is based upon two of Dr. Couvson’s books, Sing A Rhythm, Dance A Blues: Liberatory Education for Black and Brown Girls (The New Press, 2019) and Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools (The New Press, 2016). She is also a producer of the Countering PUSHOUT learning series for educators.

Dr. Couvson is the author of Black Stats: African Americans by the Numbers in the Twenty-First Century (The New Press, 2014), Too Beautiful for Words (MWM Books, 2012), and she worked with Kemba Smith on her book, Poster Child: The Kemba Smith Story (IBJ Book Publishing, 2011). She has written dozens of articles, book chapters, and other publications on social justice issues and lectured widely on research, policies, and practices associated with improving juvenile/criminal justice, educational, and socioeconomic conditions for girls and women of color. Her 2018 TED talk on how to stop the criminalization of Black girls in schools has received over 2 million views and been translated into 20 languages.

Dr. Couvson is a member of the Tides Advocacy Board of Directors and the Advisory Board for the California Black Freedom Fund. She is also the Founder and Board Chair for 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.