KATE SCHATZ is an author, educator, public speaker, educator, consultant, and queer feminist mama who's been talking, writing, and teaching about race, gender, social justice, and equity for many years. She's the New York Times bestselling author of Do the Work: An Anti-Racist Activity Book, with W. Kamau Bell, the comedian and Emmy-winning host of CNN’s United Shades of America; and the "Rad Women" book series (including Rad American Women A-Z, Rad Women Worldwide, and Rad American History A-Z), which have sold over 300,000 copies and been translated into four languages. Her book of fiction, Rid of Me: A Story, was published in 2007 as part of the cult-favorite 33 ⅓ series.
She's appeared on air on "Conan", msnbc, CNN, NPR, WNYC, WBUR, and Minnesota Public Radio; on podcasts like The Stacks, Nerdette, Sibling Revelry, Inflection Point, and Politically Reactive; and in print in places like TIME, Buzzfeed, LENNY, Oxford American, and the San Francisco Chronicle.
Known for being an accessible, engaging speaker, Kate has given talks at over 200 schools, libraries, and organizations. She's been in conversation with high-profile figures like Conan O'Brien, Megan Rapinoe, Margaret Atwood, Alicia Garza, Kate Hudson, gold medalist Ibtahaj Muhammad, and Black Voters Matter co-founder LaTosha Brown. She's been a featured presenter at ComicCon, the Miami Book Festival, the United Nation's GirlUp! Summit, and the American Library Association. She's led workshops and addressed audiences at Facebook, Spotify, Pixar, Genentech, LinkedIn, Baker Mackenzie, and the San Francisco MOMA; collaborated with Urban Outfitters on a t-shirt design featuring trans women of color; worked with the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan on a city-wide public art project; curated a multimedia event for the Berkeley Symphony; developed a multi-media art installation for the Oakland Museum of California; and advised a top ad agency on the development of an award-winning feminist history app.
From 2015-2019 she co-led Solidarity Sundays, a nationwide network of 200+ feminist activist groups aimed at empowering women to become effective political activists. As an educator, Kate taught Women’s Studies and Creative Writing at UC Santa Cruz, San Jose State, Rhode Island College, and Brown University; led Creative Writing workshops for 5-8th graders for AileyCamp, part of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; and served as the Chair of the School of Literary Arts at Oakland School for the Arts for many years.
Born and raised in San Jose, California, she lives in Alameda with her wife, their three kids, and their many pets. In all she does, Kate is committed to sharing radical histories that shine light on the marginalized people who've truly made America great: the people of color, the immigrants, the queers, the punks, the weirdos, the artists, the workers, and the women.
