K. Sabeel Rahman

K. Sabeel Rahman is the President of Demos, a dynamic think-and-do tank that powers the movement for a just, inclusive, multiracial democracy. Through cutting-edge policy research, inspiring litigation, and deep relationships with grassroots organizations, Demos champions solutions that will create a democracy and economy rooted in racial equity.

Rahman is also an Associate Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School, where he teaches constitutional law, administrative law, and courses on law and inequality. He is the author of Democracy Against Domination (Oxford University Press, 2017), which won the Dahl Prize for scholarship on the subject of democracy. His academic work explores the history, values, and policy strategies that animate efforts to make our society more inclusive and democratic, and our economy more equitable. His new book, Civic Power, looks at how to build a more inclusive and empowered bottom-up democracy. 

Rahman has worked extensively with a range of think tanks, advocacy organizations, and foundations to develop novel approaches to addressing these issues. His writings have appeared in many leading publications, among them The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Boston Review, Democracy Journal, The American Prospect, and elsewhere; and he has been quoted in numerous leading publications. Recently, he has been a featured speaker at high-level events that have included Stacey Abrams and Kamala Harris; Anand Giridharadas; and Joseph Stiglitz. He was featured on PBS’s “The Open Mind." In June 2019 at Civic Hall's Personal Democracy Forum, he discussed structural reforms needed for big tech as a featured speaker and panelist.

Rahman has also previously served as a Special Advisor on economic development strategy in New York City, a public member of the NYC Rent Guidelines Board, and the Design Director for the Gettysburg Project, an initiative working with organizers, academics, and funders to develop new strategies for civic engagement and building civic capacity.

A Muslim American and the child of Bangladeshi immigrants, Rahman grew up in New York. He earned his law degree and doctorate at Harvard University and his Masters degrees at the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He serves on the Boards of the New Press, United to Protect Democracy and The Narrative Initiative.