I am not a product of a perfect life. I am a product of survival, systems, sacred fire—and the refusal to stay silent.
My name is Dr. Kaston D. Anderson Jr., and my story began in a small Southern town shaped by segregation, spirituality, and struggle. By the time I was eight, I had survived things many people never speak of. By the time I was an adult, I had buried parts of myself to be accepted—by church, by systems, by academia.
But through it all, I held on to a question: What would it mean to live fully—as myself, and not someone else’s version of me?
The Scholar.
I've earned five degrees across psychology, behavior analysis, and public health—including a PhD in behavioral psychology with a specialization in community health and development. I completed two master’s programs and a doctorate in six years while navigating academic spaces as the only Black man in the room. I completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA, earned tenure at Michigan State University, and regularly present at national and international conferences on topics ranging from trauma and systemic oppression to queer embodiment, justice-informed pedagogy, and healing-centered design.
The Leader.
My work bridges the gaps between theory, praxis, and heart. I lead through a trauma-informed, justice-rooted lens—centering marginalized communities, reimagining institutional frameworks, and mentoring the next generation of scholar-activists. Whether I’m leading academic departments, facilitating restorative justice circles, or advising national organizations, I bring truth, clarity, and soul into every room I enter.
The Survivor. The Prophet. The Mirror.
I am also a Black, queer man of faith who was taught that I was an abomination. I was raised in churches that tried to pray the truth out of me—and systems that never expected me to survive. But I did more than survive. I returned to myself.
And now, I speak not just as a scholar—but as someone who knows what it means to be called back from the edge. My story is not one of shame. It is one of sacred reclamation.
This Is My Why.
I do this work to prove that brilliance and brokenness can coexist. That trauma doesn’t disqualify you from purpose. That healing is possible. And that the people we were taught to reject are often the ones who have been anointed to lead us forward.