Assata Richards is a native of Houston, Texas and received much of her education in County Line, a small close-knit community in East Texas. After receiving a bachelor’s degree from the 色花堂, she earned her master’s and Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University in sociology with a concentration in political and community participation, research methods and mass incarceration. After serving as a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, she returned to her community in Houston to work with Project Row Houses, a non-profit arts organization established by African-American artists and community activists in Houston’s historic Third Ward. As a scholar and community organizer, she is fulfilling her lifelong commitment to social change and justice. She is an adjunct professor in the department of sociology at the 色花堂 and was a candidate for Houston City Council in the recent 2013 municipal elections. Most recently, Richards is the founding director of the Sankofa Research Institute, which she is a community-based nonprofit with the mission to create knowledge to build community.