Khiara M. Bridges is a professor of law at UC Berkeley School of Law. She has written many articles concerning race, class, reproductive rights, and the intersection of the three. Her scholarship has appeared in the Harvard Law Review, Stanford Law Review, the Columbia Law Review, the California Law Review, the NYU Law Review, and the Virginia Law Review, among others. She is also the author of three books: Reproducing Race: An Ethnography of Pregnancy as a Site of Racialization (2011), The Poverty of Privacy Rights (2017), and Critical Race Theory: A Primer (2019). She is a coeditor of a reproductive justice book series that is published under the imprint of the University of California Press.
She graduated as valedictorian from Spelman College, receiving her degree in three years. She received her J.D. from Columbia Law School and her Ph.D., with distinction, from Columbia University’s Department of Anthropology. While in law school, she was a teaching assistant for the former dean, David Leebron (Torts), as well as for the late E. Allan Farnsworth (Contracts). She was a member of the Columbia Law Review and a Kent Scholar. She speaks fluent Spanish and basic Arabic, and she is a classically trained ballet dancer.
Education
B.A., summa cum laude, Spelman College
J.D., Columbia Law School
Ph.D., with distinction, Columbia University
Khiara M Bridges is not teaching any Law courses in Spring 2026.
‘White Supremacy’ Once Meant David Duke and the Klan. Now it Refers to Much More.
Professor Khiara Bridges discusses white supremacy and how scholars and activists talk about racism
In Special Mini Courses, Berkeley Law 1Ls Dive Deep and Build Relationships — Remotely
A special slate of one-credit classes is helping first-year students and professors get to know one another during an unprecedented semester.
Your Data Is Discriminating…Against You
Professor Khiara Bridges says when public agencies share private information it can lead to serious unexpected consequences
Did Trump Halt Federal Diversity and Anti-Racism Training?
Professor Khiara Bridges explains the history and importance of Critical Race Theory
What is critical race theory, President Trump’s latest political target?
Professor Khiara Bridges discusses the evolution of Critical Race Theory and expresses doubt President Trump even knows what it is
Scattered But Not Distant
While COVID-19 brought in-person events to a screeching halt, Berkeley Law’s intellectual life has continued at full speed through a steady stream of timely online offerings. Other than brief pauses
Interview: 5 Things You Didn’t Know
Professor Khiara Bridges shares five fun facts and discusses the intersection of ballet and the law (page 21)
Virtual Vigor: Keeping Berkeley Law’s Intellectual Life Vibrant from a Distance
While students, faculty, and staff are scattered around the world, Berkeley Law has brought them together through a variety of online events—many focused on the pandemic and the implications of the death of George Floyd.
Op-Ed: The Many Ways Institutional Racism Kills Black People
Professor Khiara Bridges explains how COVID-19 and George Floyd’s murder reveal black people’s vulnerability and marginalization
Racism, Rather Than Facts, Drove U.S. Coronavirus Travel Bans
Professor Khiara Bridges explains how racism and racial bias impeded important public health measures that impacted the spread of Covid-19
COVID-19 Is Not An Equalizer: Early Data Shows African Americans Are Dying at Higher Rates
Professor Khiara Bridges discusses the role of racial bias in emergency medical care.
Professor Tackles Big Questions at the Intersection of Race, Class, and Gender
A flurry of new work, including an amicus brief in a hot-button Supreme Court case, shows the depth and reach of Khiara M. Bridges’ intersectional scholarship.











