Abstract
Dominant stories about public intellectualism tend to erase academics of racially minoritized and marginalized backgrounds as well as academics appointed outside of research universities. This chapter makes sense of these erasures and considers their associated costs by applying the lenses of critical race theory (CRT) and epistemic injustice. Ultimately, this chapter attempts to broaden the academy’s view about public intellectualism, making visible the work that so many have been doing for so long which includes fierce acts of advocacy and community uplift.