Speaking Introduction/Short Bio

Dorothy A. Brown was born and raised in the South Bronx and learned about structural inequality at an early age. It made her want to become a lawyer so that she could be an advocate for those whose voices had been silenced and/or ignored.

Her professional background includes work on Wall Street and at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Since joining the legal academy, she has focused on revealing the racial, as well as class and gender implications of tax policy that are often hidden in plain sight. Her diverse work experiences have given her unique insights into inequities in the workplace, with a particular emphasis on the legal profession and legal education

She currently holds the Martin D. Ginsburg Chair in Taxation at Georgetown Law, where she teaches Critical Race Theory, Federal Income Tax, and Partnership Taxation. She is the author of The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans—And How We Can Fix It (Crown, 2021) and Getting to Reparations: How Building a Different America Requires a Reckoning with Our Past (Crown, January 2026). She has appeared on ABC’s The View, MSNBC’s Ali Velshi, The New Yorker Radio Hour, NPR’s Marketplace, and PBS NewsHour. Her opinion pieces have been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic.

Media Appearances

Dorothy has appeared on MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry show; CNN’s Starting Point; and VICE News among others. Dorothy is available to comment on current events dealing with race, class or social justice. View a list of Dorothy’s  Media Appearances

Events

Dorothy is a highly sought after and popular speaker. View a list of Dorothy’s Events