Macalester College Big Questions Event

Macalester’s Big Questions Events are organized by the Alumni Engagement Office. They are conversations between the President and various faculty. I was happy to participate in this February 2021 conversation with President Suzanne Rivera and my colleague in Political Science, Professor Lesley Lavery. The topic was the impact of COVID-19 on educational inequity.

Three Webinars on Anti-racism in higher education

I was invited to speak on three panels focusing on anti-racism in higher education, one specifically focusing on anti-blackness. The University of Minnesota’s inaugural event on anti-racism took place September 29, 2020 featuring Curriculum and Instruction Professor Tim Lensmire and Brian Lozenski, a former C&I student and now associate professor at Macalester College. Their publication, … More Three Webinars on Anti-racism in higher education

The Nu Skool of Afrikan American Thought: A Self-Determined Community Gathering

In the spring of 2019 I was asked to write a blog post about an instance of education with the explicit purpose of liberation happening in the Twin Cities. I decided to focus on the Nu Skool of Afrikan American Thought, a monthly topical lecture and dialogue series. I am part of the Twin Cities … More The Nu Skool of Afrikan American Thought: A Self-Determined Community Gathering

YPAR and Ethnic Studies

As I prepare to participate in an Ethnic Studies Assembly in Seattle this weekend, sponsored by the Education for Liberation Network,  my latest article is timely.  The Movement for Ethnic Studies is celebrating 50 years since students and faculty on campuses like San Francisco State, the University of Minnesota, and Cornell demanded the creation of … More YPAR and Ethnic Studies

On the Mythical Rise of White Nationalism and Other Stranger Things

The Journal of Language & Literacy Education (JoLLE) dedicated its Scholars Speak Out section to the exploration of race and social justice in education in the wake of the alt-right marches in Charlottesville, Virginia in August. I was invited to submit an essay on white nationalism. I decided to use the TV show Stranger Things to … More On the Mythical Rise of White Nationalism and Other Stranger Things

Ta-Nehisi Coates on Donald Trump

On Friday, January 19th, I was invited to join poet/writer/activist Keno Eval and Carleton College Professor Charisse Burden-Stelly on Minnesota Public Radio’s Friday Roundtable. Our discussion focused on the Ta-Nehisi Coates article The First White President, where he analyzes the Trump victory as a resurgence of white supremacy.  The conversation touched on the intersections of whiteness, … More Ta-Nehisi Coates on Donald Trump