Shani Tahir Mott (March 16, 1976 – March 12, 2024) was an American scholar of Black studies, best known for her advocacy and her examination of race and power in the United States. She was a faculty member at Johns Hopkins University. Her academic work in literature and Africana studies, extended beyond traditional scholarship to actionable advocacy, highlighted by her legal challenge against discriminatory home appraisal practices in Baltimore. Before working at Johns Hopkins University, she taught in Barry University's English department, where she designed a secondary school curriculum focusing on racial literacy and American literature. She would also consult on teaching and mentoring at Barry University while she was there. Additionally, she founded and served in diversity-focused initiatives, including establishing a social justice collective at Johns Hopkins University and a diversity program at the Bryn Mawr School. She died from adrenal cancer on March 12, 2024, at the age of 47. In the days before her death, she continued to advocate by testifying in support of her lawsuit against LoanDepot. As a result, the case settled with sweeping changes in home appraisal practices including extensive plan to mitigate discrimination including a second appraisal.
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