Megan Ming Francis

Megan Ming Francis is the G. Alan and Barbara Delsman Associate Professor of Political Science and an Associate Professor of Law, Societies, and Justice at the University of Washington. She holds dual appointments in the Department of Political Science and the School of Law, Societies, and Justice within the College of Arts & Sciences. During 2021-22, she served as a Senior Democracy Fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and a Racial Justice Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights at Harvard Kennedy School.

Her education includes a B.A. from Rice University, followed by an M.A. and Ph.D. in Politics from Princeton University. Francis specializes in American politics, focusing on criminal punishment, Black political activism, philanthropy, and the post-Civil War South. Her award-winning book, *Civil Rights and the Making of the Modern American State*, redefines understanding of state-building through civil rights struggles. Current projects include *The Crimes of Capitalism* (examining post-Civil War Southern political/economic systems via criminal punishment) and *How to Fund a Movement* (analyzing philanthropy’s role in social movements).

Her research has been featured in academic journals and public platforms, including a popular TED Talk. She also co-hosts the *Philanthropy and Social Movements* podcast, exploring philanthropy’s complex relationship with radical activism.