My name is Dr. Brittany Friedman and I am a sociologist, author, filmmaker, and creator. I am an expert on cover-ups, politics, and the dark side of institutions. What does that mean? Much of my work is organized around investigating and making sense of the grave harms we grapple with in our society and how they are perpetrated by individuals and institutions who use power to engage in disinformation, target vulnerable populations, and reproduce social and economic inequalities.

Like Ida B. Wells and other seers before us, we must look until we cannot sit still.

Once we uncover these harms, the work is to dream a path forward. To this end, I also focus my energy on restoring harmony through reimagining how we can heal and transform systems of oppression and control into structures of life, joy, and creativity.

I am a proponent of problem-solving sociology and public intellectualism, and believe in the power of imagination. I communicate the spirit of discovery by translating my research findings for many audiences, including scholars, policymakers, advocacy organizations, the public, and creative teams working on radio, film, broadcast, or art production.

I am passionate about the translation of social research into vibrant storytelling and narration. I love to discover and create from a place of deep inquiry and respect for the mysteries that life holds, as a social scientist, filmmaker, creator, and apprentice of the alternative healing arts.

I hold a PhD in Sociology from Northwestern University and am appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Southern California, where I received the 2024 Raubenheimer Outstanding Junior Faculty Award. I am a ‘23-24 American Association of University Women faculty postdoc and an Affiliated Scholar of the American Bar Foundation.

I have written for news outlets such as The Washington Post and my research has been featured in media like The Associated Press, Boston Globe, ABC News, The Grio, NPR, The Untold Story,  Jacobin Magazine, This is Hell! Radio, The Appeal, and Vox. 

Pre-order my new book CARCERAL APARTHEID: How Lies and White Supremacists Run Our Prisons.

Thanks for visiting and take good care.

B 🦋