Spelman alumna Ruha Benjamin, Ph.D., C'2001, was recently named a 2024 MacArthur Fellow. Renowned for her groundbreaking work at the intersection of technology and social justice, Benjamin has been recognized for “illuminating how technology reflects and reproduces social inequality and championing the role of imagination in social transformation.”
As the Alexander Stewart 1886 Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, Benjamin’s thought-provoking research sheds light on how advances in science, medicine and technology can perpetuate systemic inequities. Her work, which emphasizes the importance of imagination and grassroots activism, offers a visionary blueprint for a more just society.
Benjamin earned her B.A. in sociology and anthropology from Spelman College, where her journey of blending scholarship and activism began. She went on to receive her M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, further honing her expertise in the social dimensions of science, technology, and medicine. In addition to her doctoral studies, Benjamin completed prestigious postdoctoral fellowships at UCLA’s Institute for Society and Genetics and Harvard University’s Program on Science, Technology, and Society.
Benjamin shares the inspiration behind her work on her website: "I write, teach, and speak widely about the relationship between innovation and inequity, knowledge and power, race and citizenship, health and justice."
"...I arrived here by way of a winding road that has snaked through South Central Los Angeles; Conway, South Carolina; Majuro, South Pacific, and Swaziland, Southern Africa. I come from many Souths, and I tend to bring this perspective, of looking at the world from its underbelly, to my analysis."
Benjamin's academic and professional impact is far-reaching. Benjamin served as an assistant professor of sociology at Boston University before joining the faculty at Princeton in 2014. She has since received numerous honors, including the President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching at Princeton and fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Science Foundation, and the Ford Foundation. She is also the founding director of the Ida B. Wells JUST Data Lab, a space where students, artists, and activists work together to challenge tech-mediated harms.
Her work as an award-winning author and popular speaker continues to push boundaries. From delivering talks on the TED and TEDx stages to her published works in The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and The Guardian, Benjamin’s influence transcends academia. Her most recent book, "Imagination: A Manifesto" (2024), highlights the power of creativity in social change, while her 2022 book, "Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want," won the 2023 Stowe Prize for Literary Activism.
The MacArthur Fellowship, often referred to as a “genius grant,” provides Benjamin with an $800,000 stipend to further her innovative research. She joins a distinguished group of 22 fellows in the 2024 cohort, each recognized for their originality and dedication to their fields.
On the organization's website, Marlies Carruth, director of the MacArthur Fellows, said, "The 2024 MacArthur Fellows pursue rigorous inquiry with aspiration and purpose. They expose biases built into emerging technologies and social systems and fill critical gaps in the knowledge of cycles that sustain life on Earth. Their work highlights our shared humanity, centering the agency of disabled people, the humor and histories of Indigenous communities, the emotional lives of adolescents, and perspectives of rural Americans."
Benjamin’s journey reflects the very best of what Spelman women achieve: intellectual brilliance, social impact, and visionary leadership. Her contributions to reshaping how we think about technology and justice are nothing short of revolutionary.