Shani Mott

Shani Tahir Mott
Born	(1976-03-16)March 16, 1976 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	March 12, 2024(2024-03-12) (aged 47) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Occupations	Scholar, activist
Academic background
Alma mater	Wesleyan University (B.A.), University of Michigan (M.A., Ph.D.)
Academic work
Institutions	Johns Hopkins University
Main interests	Black Studies • Race and Power Dynamics • Institutional Bias

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. 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.