Dr. David Turner III
Assistant Professor of Black Life and Racial Justice in the Department of Social Welfare at
the Luskin School of Public Affairs
Dr. David C. Turner III is a scholar, organizer, and educator committed to advancing racial justice and health equity for young people and communities of color. As Senior Advisor with the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color (ABMoC), he leads efforts to strengthen infrastructure and campaigns that uplift community schools, transform school discipline, and decriminalize youth.
Dr. Turner has co-led and supported landmark campaigns, including reallocating school police funding toward Black student achievement in LAUSD, eliminating willful defiance suspensions in California, and driving participatory research projects with Black Lives Matter–Los Angeles and the People’s Budget LA Coalition. His work has consistently shifted resources away from carceral systems and toward life-affirming investments in education and community well-being.
Currently an assistant professor of Black Life and Racial Justice at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, Dr. Turner holds a Ph.D. in Education from UC Berkeley, a Master’s from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA in Africana Studies from CSU Dominguez Hills