Tania De’Shawn Russell

Tania De’Shawn Russell is a poet and teaching artist passionate about using storytelling to restore agency to marginalized communities. As AHA’s outreach and social media coordinator, she uses media to connect our vibrant community of lifelong learners to the plethora of events and grant opportunities that promote us all to be kinder and more empathetic community members.

Tania holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Berea College. Before joining AHA, Tania worked as a student chaplain and student chaplain coordinator for Berea College. As an artist, her work and workshops have been featured at the Magic City Poetry Festival, Birmingham Children’s Theatre, and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Tania is the 2023 Magic City Poetry Festival Eco-Poetry Fellow: The Light Poet, where she will bring poetry workshops to the Birmingham Public Library. She also co-chairs the National Hook-Up of Black Women’s Literacy Committee. Tania believes that you have a place in the humanities.