Sandra Lawson is a Rabbi in the Reconstructionist Jewish tradition who claims to be one of the first black and openly lesbian rabbis in Judaism. As of 2021, she was director of Racial Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Reconstructing Judaism, a nonprofit organization that promotes “Reconstructionism,” a form of Judaism that argues for changing the religion’s “structure, beliefs, rituals, customs and culture… in each generation to renew its relevance and ensure its sustainability.”  ^{1   2  1}

Education and Early Career

Sandra Lawson graduated from Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, Florida where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. Lawson also received a Master of Arts in Sociology from Clark Atlanta University. Lawson is also a 2018 graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. ¹

Lawson served in the United States Army as a military police officer. After her service, she began a personal training business and later worked as an adjunct instructor of sociology at local community colleges. She has also worked as the investigative researcher for the Anti Defamation League’s (ADL) Southeast Region. Prior to working at Reconstructing Judaism, she was the Associate Chaplain for Jewish Life and the Senior Jewish Educator at Hillel at Elon University in North Carolina. She is also the founder of the Kol Hapanim (All Faces) Jewish community organization. ^{1  3}

Social Media Influence

Sandra Lawson has an active presence across social media platforms as a speaker, influencer, musical artist, and activist. She has over 46,000 followers on TikTok, 23,000 followers on Instagram, 4,000 followers on Facebook, and 2,500 subscribers on YouTube. ^{4  5  6  7}

For her social media presence, Lawson was featured by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency as one of “The 50 Jews everyone should follow on Twitter.” She was also named one of the “Forward 50” in 2020, the Jewish publication’s list of top Jewish voices. In 2022, Lawson was named one of 22 “Faith Leaders to Watch in 2022” by the Center for American Progress (CAP). For her musical influence, Lawson is also a Schusterman Fellow, a “leadership development program designed to support, cultivate and invest in exceptional leaders committed to building and sustaining Jewish nonprofits and Israeli civil society,” according to the Schusterman Family Philanthropies website. ^{2  8}

Lawson also hosts a podcast that discusses issues between faith and topics such as race, feminism, and LGBT activism. ⁹

Reconstructing Judaism

In 2021, Sandra Lawson was appointed the director of “Racial Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” at Reconstructing Judaism, a nonprofit organization that promotes “Reconstructionism,” a form of Judaism that argues for changing the religion’s “structure, beliefs, rituals, customs and culture… in each generation to renew its relevance and ensure its sustainability.”  ^{1  10}

Activism

In 2020, Lawson was interviewed by Moment Magazine on the topic of antisemitism in America which she claimed was not a “right or left issue.” She claimed that “often [I] face more anti-Semitism from the Jewish community than I do from the rest of the world because of not being seen as authentically Jewish.” She further claimed. “[m]ost of the violence against Jews is coming from people who have heard rhetoric on the right.” ¹¹

1. “Rabbi Sandra Lawson.” Reconstructing Judaism. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/profile/rabbi-sandra-lawson/
2. “Home.” Rabbi Sandra Lawson. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://www.rabbisandralawson.com/
3. Rivas, Keren. “Rabbi Sandra Lawson named associate chaplain for Jewish life, Jewish educator at Hillel.” Today at ELON. June 20, 2018. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://www.elon.edu/u/news/2018/06/20/rabbi-sandra-lawson-named-associate-chaplain-for-jewish-life-jewish-educator-at-hillel/
4. “@rabbisandra.” TikTok. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://www.tiktok.com/@rabbisandra
5. “@rabbisandra.”Instagram. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://www.instagram.com/rabbisandra/#
6. “Rabbi Sandra Lawson.” Facebook. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://www.facebook.com/rabbisandralawson/
7. “Rabbi Sandra.” YouTube. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/lawsonsj
8. “Schusterman Fellowship.” Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://www.schusterman.org/schusterman-fellowship
9. “Podcast.” Rabbi Sandra Lawson. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://www.rabbisandralawson.com/podcast
10. “Mission, Vision and Values.” Reconstructing Judaism. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/mission-vision-and-values/
11. “Sandra Lawson (NC): ‘I Often Face More Anti-Semitism from the Jewish Community’.” Moment Magazine. March 4, 2020. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://momentmag.com/sandra-lawson-nc-i-often-face-more-anti-semitism-from-the-jewish-community/