Sekou Franklin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and is the Coordinator of Urban Studies Minor Program at MTSU. He has published works on urban politics, social movements, juvenile justice, the anti-death penalty movement, youth activism, Venezuelan politics, African-American politics, and state and local politics. He is also been active with numerous social justice organizations and does expert preparation analyses for voting rights and redistricting cases.