We Hold the
World Together

Dr. Jessica S. Samuel is the founder & CEO of Radical Education & Advocacy League, LLC (REAL), an educational equity firm focused on helping BIPOC students thrive, not just survive. She is an educator, interdisciplinary scholar, and decolonial activist whose work focuses on race, education, colonialism and the environment, including where they all might converge, in the United States and Caribbean. Dr. Samuel served as an appointed member of the Racial Imbalance Advisory Council for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and is a member of Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC). She is also Education Committee Chair for Right to Democracy, an organization committed to confronting U.S. colonialism in all five American territories. Dr. Samuel holds a PhD in American Studies from Boston University, a Master of Education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and a Bachelor in African American Studies and Anthropology from Wesleyan University. Most recently, Dr. Samuel has been appointed as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of African & African American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Shauna Rigaud is a cultural studies scholar whose work explores the intersections of race, gender, identity, and power within the African diaspora, with a particular focus on the anglophone Caribbean. Her research interests seek to draw doted lines between Black American and Caribbean American experiences, through the work of women, cultural practices, and ideas of solidarity and nation building. A first-generation college graduate, her academic journey began at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where she earned a B.A. in Afro-American History. She holds a dual Master’s in Gender/Cultural Studies and Communication Management from Simmons University in Boston and she completed her PhD in Cultural Studies from George Mason University, in Virginia. She is currently the Associate Director of the Office of Community Engagement and Civic Learning at George Mason University. She is also a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated.

Dr. Shauna Rigaud is a cultural studies scholar whose work explores the intersections of race, gender, identity, and power within the African diaspora, with a particular focus on the anglophone Caribbean. Her research interests seek to draw doted lines between Black American and Caribbean American experiences, through the work of women, cultural practices, and ideas of solidarity and nation building. A first-generation college graduate, her academic journey began at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where she earned a B.A. in Afro-American History. She holds a dual Master’s in Gender/Cultural Studies and Communication Management from Simmons University in Boston and she completed her PhD in Cultural Studies from George Mason University, in Virginia. She is currently the Associate Director of the Office of Community Engagement and Civic Learning at George Mason University. She is also a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated.

Ms. Partlow earned her B.S. in Commerce in Marketing and Management with a major in Spanish from the University of Virginia and an MBA with a focus on human resources from the University of Maryland. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Student Affairs at the University of Maryland College Park where her research interests include identity development, high impact practices and student success. She has had an extensive career in organizational development and training and in college admissions and educational consulting. She is passionate about helping young people to recognize their strengths and gifts and then helping them to begin their career journeys by matriculating to and graduating from a right-fit college where they can grow and begin to discover their true potential. Ms. Partlow is also committed to exposing students to global perspectives in today’s society and strongly encourages international learning experiences, especially for Students of Color. 

Reka C. Barton, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Literacy Education at the University of Maryland. Dr. Barton researches multilingualism and multiliteracies via multimodal methodologies in and with communities of Black women and children in hopes of socially just and more equitable realities. She is a former elementary school teacher, with the majority of her classroom teaching career spent in dual language and urban classrooms. Dr. Barton teaches courses in children's literature, literacy methods, and research methods. Her recent publications can be found in Children's Literature in Education, Journal of Language and Literacy Education, and Departures in Critical Qualitative Research.

“Pro-Black Pedagogy in K-12 Education: A Narrative of Black Motherhood”

Prilly Bicknell-Hersco, is a Black Mother-Scholar and PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education at York University, Canada. Her research explores the intersections of Black motherwork, critical disability studies, and Black student experiences in higher education, grounded in Black feminist thought, critical race theory, and Black dis/ability politics. Prilly teaches a Black studies course at York University titled Cultures of Resistance, where students engage with historical and contemporary issues of Black life in the Americas. She serves as an advisory board member for the federally funded project “Black Maternal Pedagogies” and is the Justice, Equity, and Redress of Anti-Black Racism committee representative at her university. She currently serves as the membership chair of the Black Women’s Studies Association. Prilly is deeply committed to advancing the work of Black womxn scholars, activists, artists, and community members across borders and within Black diasporic communities.

Dr. Stephanie Latty is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology. She received her Ph.D from the University of Toronto in the Collaborative Women and Gender Studies Program in the Department of Social Justice Education. Stephanie’s areas of expertise include Black feminisms, critical race theory, anti-Blackness, carcerality, gendered violence, and abolition. Her current research examines the media and legal discourses surrounding Black women and girls who have experienced strip-searching and other forms of state violence in Canada. Prior to higher education, Stephanie worked in the mental health field in front-line, community education and policy capacities.

Dr. Muna-Udbi A. Ali is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Environment and Urban Change (EUC), specializing in Black Studies in Geography and Environment, at York University in Toronto, Canada. Before joining the faculty of EUC, Ali worked as an Assistant Professor at California State University San Marcos, and as a Visiting Faculty member at Christopher Newport University. Trained as an interdisciplinary scholar, her primary research covers diverse theoretical foci including Black studies, critical refugee and migration studies, critical race studies, Black feminist studies, Black geographies, transnational feminism, environmental justice, popular education, critical Muslim studies, critical pedagogy, and public policy (specifically immigration, refugee, health, and welfare policies). Outside of academia, Ali is a community worker, curriculum and policy consultant, researcher, and anti-oppression educator. She has designed curricula and policies on gender-based violence, Afrocentric education, and anti-racist praxis. She has worked in education and curriculum development in Canada, United States, Kenya, and Somalia.

Dr. Danielle L. Green is a nonprofit executive, organizational psychologist, and thought leader with over 20 years of experience advancing mission-driven organizations through strategic leadership and human-centered systems. She currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of OppNet, where she partners with executive leadership to strengthen organizational infrastructure, guide growth, and cultivate a culture rooted in equity, sustainability, and care. Danielle is known for her engaging, practical approach to leadership, blending accountability with affirmation to help individuals and organizations realize their full potential.

Dr. Green holds a Psy.D. in Organizational Leadership Psychology from William James College, an M.S. in Business and Information Systems from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and a B.A. in Music from William Paterson University. She is a faculty member in the Organizational Leadership Psychology M.A. Program at William James College. Her speaking and research focus on inclusive leadership, DEI facilitation, nonprofit executive coaching, serious leisure, and radical self-care.

Dr. Muna-Udbi A. Ali is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Environment and Urban Change (EUC), specializing in Black Studies in Geography and Environment, at York University in Toronto, Canada. Before joining the faculty of EUC, Ali worked as an Assistant Professor at California State University San Marcos, and as a Visiting Faculty member at Christopher Newport University. Trained as an interdisciplinary scholar, her primary research covers diverse theoretical foci including Black studies, critical refugee and migration studies, critical race studies, Black feminist studies, Black geographies, transnational feminism, environmental justice, popular education, critical Muslim studies, critical pedagogy, and public policy (specifically immigration, refugee, health, and welfare policies). Outside of academia, Ali is a community worker, curriculum and policy consultant, researcher, and anti-oppression educator. She has designed curricula and policies on gender-based violence, Afrocentric education, and anti-racist praxis. She has worked in education and curriculum development in Canada, United States, Kenya, and Somalia.

Terri Fuller is an educational administrator with 14 years of experience, currently serving as a principal in DC Public Schools. Her professional background includes roles as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, and mentor teacher-experiences that inform her instructional and people-centered leadership. She is a servant leader who believes deeply in the power, brilliance, and collective advancement of Black women. Terri is a current doctoral student in the School of Education at Howard University and is striving to complete her dissertation in Fall 2026. Her dissertation, "Intersectionality in Leadership: Leveraging Mentoring and Black Feminist Thought to Overcome Race and Gender Challenges for Black Female Principals, prioritizes the constructed role of Black womanhood in relation to the principalship." She is a proud active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. In her spare time she enjoys coordinating small-group themed events for friends and family!

Rehshetta is a doctoral student in Educational Studies with a concentration in Higher Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her work centers the racialized and gendered labor of Black women and femmes in higher education, with particular attention to the often-invisible care, mentoring, and community-building practices that sustain academic institutions and people within them. In addition to this focus, rehshetta is engaged in Open Education research and practice, guided by a commitment to access, equity, and the sharing of knowledge across higher education and carceral learning spaces. This scholarship is rooted in care, justice, and belonging. It reflects a deep investment in bridging research, teaching, and community-engaged work in ways that honor lived experience and collective survival.

Reka C. Barton, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Literacy Education at the University of Maryland. Dr. Barton researches multilingualism and multiliteracies via multimodal methodologies in and with communities of Black women and children in hopes of socially just and more equitable realities. She is a former elementary school teacher, with the majority of her classroom teaching career spent in dual language and urban classrooms. Dr. Barton teaches courses in children's literature, literacy methods, and research methods. Her recent publications can be found in Children's Literature in Education, Journal of Language and Literacy Education, and Departures in Critical Qualitative Research.

Anita R. Gooding, PhD, MSW, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker and seasoned educator. Her practice experience spans micro and macro levels of practice and includes community outreach and organizing, HIV/AIDS treatment education, outpatient therapy, healthcare social work, and higher education administration. As a researcher, she has studied and published on the subjugated knowledges of historically marginalized groups, race and use of self, equity and inclusion within social work education, and queer(ed) space.

Melody Andrews is a doctoral candidate in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies program at Howard University. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Mississippi State University, and her Master’s in English and African American Literature from North Carolina A&T State University. As an educator, Melody taught ELA, and currently works as an Assistant Principal. Melody has presented and published research related to hip hop education and Black women educational leaders, as well as written ELA curriculum. She has also served as a NEA Early Career Leadership Fellow, a UCEA Jackson Scholar, a SELI Fellow with the United Negro College Fund and is a 2024 DCPS School Leader Excellence Award recipient.

Dr. Alaundra Shealey earned her PhD in Apparel Design from Auburn University where she focused her discipline on the entwinement textile/materials and Black women’s intersectionalities. As an apparel designer, artist, and researcher, Alaundra’s designs focus on the interplay of art, fiber art, garment design, and Black feminism. Her practice and research interplay traditional ways of making with computer digitization and other technology with a focus on liberating Black women’s bodies through textile storytelling.

Lynette Nickleberry Stewart, PhD is an Associate Professor and Faculty Mentor in the School of Human Services at SUNY Empire State University. Her work centers on child and family studies, trauma-informed pedagogy, and the design of flexible, high-impact learning models for adult and nontraditional students. She is widely recognized for her leadership in compressed course design, prior learning assessment, and culturally responsive curriculum development.

Dr. Stewart’s scholarship and practice emphasize the integration of equity, experiential learning, and institutional quality assurance. She contributes extensively to program development, faculty governance, and academic policy, ensuring innovation remains aligned with accreditation standards and student success outcomes.

In addition to her academic role, Dr. Stewart is a social impact entrepreneur and consultant, advising organizations on trauma-informed program design, community engagement strategies, and global education initiatives. Her work spans the United States and the Caribbean, with a focus on sustainable partnerships, inclusive leadership, and community-centered practice.

Carla J. Thomas McGinnis a Ph.D. candidate in American Studies at the University of Maryland. Her academic interests include Black feminisms, cultural geography, material culture, public history. She is especially interested in Black cultural landscapes like yards, gardens, and designed outdoor spaces and how they function as living archives. Carla also works as the Assistant Director of Museum Initiatives at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. She leads their garden initiative that produces curated gardens, interactive programs, and collects stories that tell the living history of black foodways and agricultural practices. Carla has an MA in Arts Management (George Mason University) and a BA in Black Studies/Women’s Studies (University of Michigan). She enjoys traveling, theater, and collecting books.

Imani Hutchinson, MSW, is a policy researcher and program evaluator with deep expertise in equitable evaluation, cultural humility, and social justice. As a Research Analyst at MEF Associates, she leads and supports federal and state evaluations related to TANF, SNAP, child support, and Head Start, integrating culturally responsive and anti-racist practices throughout the research process. Imani has managed qualitative studies, co-developed equity-focused evaluation tools, and guided technical assistance for human service agencies nationwide. Her work centers on elevating community voice particularly from individuals with lived experience to improve program effectiveness and accountability. Imani has presented on equitable evaluation at national forums and holds a Master of Social Work from Howard University with a concentration on displaced and marginalized populations.

Kyetra Beulah is a doctoral student in Educational Studies with a concentration in Higher Education at UNC Greensboro. Her research centers Black women and examines how professionalism, institutional expectations, and trauma shape their lived experiences in academic spaces.

Miranda N. Lowery is a second-year doctoral student at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). In addition to her studies at UNCG, Miranda serves as the Assistant Director for Career Development in the Office of Career and Professional Development and is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in the state of North Carolina. Her combined experience in mental health and higher education has fueled her research interests in the experiences of Black women in higher education and how these experiences impact their mental and emotional health. Miranda hopes that her research will contribute to amplifying the voices of Black women, bringing awareness to their lived experiences, and empowering others to boldly share their stories.

Rehshetta is a doctoral student in Educational Studies with a concentration in Higher Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her work centers the racialized and gendered labor of Black women and femmes in higher education, with particular attention to the often-invisible care, mentoring, and community-building practices that sustain academic institutions and people within them. In addition to this focus, rehshetta is engaged in Open Education research and practice, guided by a commitment to access, equity, and the sharing of knowledge across higher education and carceral learning spaces. This scholarship is rooted in care, justice, and belonging. It reflects a deep investment in bridging research, teaching, and community-engaged work in ways that honor lived experience and collective survival.

“Pro-Black Pedagogy in K-12 Education: A Narrative of Black Motherhood”

Prilly Bicknell-Hersco, is a Black Mother-Scholar and PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education at York University, Canada. Her research explores the intersections of Black motherwork, critical disability studies, and Black student experiences in higher education, grounded in Black feminist thought, critical race theory, and Black dis/ability politics. Prilly teaches a Black studies course at York University titled Cultures of Resistance, where students engage with historical and contemporary issues of Black life in the Americas. She serves as an advisory board member for the federally funded project “Black Maternal Pedagogies” and is the Justice, Equity, and Redress of Anti-Black Racism committee representative at her university. She currently serves as the membership chair of the Black Women’s Studies Association. Prilly is deeply committed to advancing the work of Black womxn scholars, activists, artists, and community members across borders and within Black diasporic communities.

Melissa C. Brown is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication. She researches digital media, artificial intelligence, and online social networking applications. At SCU, she teaches courses in Media and Technology Studies, Qualitative Research Methods, Dating in the Digital Age, and Race, Gender, and Digital Activism.

Dr. Brown collaborates with students across the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering on research exploring the sociological implications of digital platforms. This research group applies sociological theory and methods to examine how digital technologies affect social identity, groups, and structures. Their projects investigate how emerging technologies influence social stratification and the social psychological phenomena that emerge from or are transformed by human-computer interaction. Primary research topics include the anthropomorphization of AI, algorithmic visibility, digital activism, digital violence, online misinformation, and digital culture.

Ola Kalu, PhD, EdS is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania, where she examines how neighborhood conditions and structural factors shape maternal and child health equity. As a community-engaged urban sociologist, her research centers Black women's voices as knowledge producers and agents of transformation. Dr. Kalu holds a PhD in Sociology from the University at Albany, SUNY, and an EdS in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Florida. Her scholarship explores how race, place, and policy intersect to shape disparities in education, reproductive health, and community well-being, with particular focus on how place-based dynamics affect Black youth and birthing mothers across generations. Outside of academia, Dr. Kalu is the founder of The Black Repro Space, a platform committed to empowering Black women with resources and education at every stage of their reproductive journey.

Saria Akina Canady (she/her) is a writer, editor, and educator, whose work explores storytelling at the intersection of health, race, and gender. She teaches academic and reflective writing rooted in practices that bridge narrative, scholarship, and social justice. She holds an MFA in creative nonfiction and a Ph.D. in cultural studies.

Dr. Melanie R. Holmes is an Assistant Professor of African American Studies at the University of South Carolina. She received her PhD in history with a specialization in the African Diaspora, and a certificate in Women’s Studies, at Howard University. Her research prioritizes the diverse regions, individual causes, and various strategies of Black Power movements. Dr. Holmes was previously a lecturer at Howard University where she taught courses in the African Diaspora, United States History, Women’s Studies, and Caribbean Studies. Prior to entering academia, she earned her master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania. She worked in District of Columbia Public Schools for ten years as a Social Studies instructional coach, department chair, curriculum writer, and taught multiple secondary history courses. Having earned her Bachelor of Arts in print journalism from Howard University, Dr. Holmes began her career as a reporter for The Philadelphia Tribune and Afro-American Newspaper.

Dr. Lisbeth Gant-Britton, Adjunct Professor, California State University, Northridge (CSUN); also Associate Professor Adjunct, Los Angeles Community College system (LACCD), teaches: African American Studies, African American history, and Ethnic Studies. Former administrator/adjunct faculty, UCLA African American Studies Department. Also former Kalamazoo College Marlene Crandall Francis Professor of the Humanities in the English Department, Michigan. Two textbooks: Holt African American History, digitized by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2018. Her first book on African American history was recognized by the Los Angeles mayor’s office with a special award for its contribution to racial understanding through education.

Wonda Powell, Professor Emerita of History, both African American and World Democracies. An undergraduate of the University of Michigan, and M.A. from UCLA, she has   served the educational community for more than forty years in the Los Angeles Community College District. She shares her research, experiences, and knowledge through lectures, community outreach, and recently as a commentator in a small documentary on Ukraine.  Professor Powell emphasized how the arrest of Brittany Griner, a popular and controversial African American WNBA superstar was not coincidental to the invasion of Ukraine,  but  an intentional salvo to provoke division in the U.S. and the world.  Professor Powell especially enjoys motivational talks with young people to help inspire them to be better critical thinkers and increase their knowledge and literacy about African Americans as citizens in the larger world. She is a poet and author of Girl Find Me A Safety Pin! 

Jessica Bertram Williams (she/her) is a Southern-bred movement artist whose work is rooted in storytelling, play, and Afro-Diasporic traditions. She holds degrees in Dance & Movement Studies and Anthropology & Human Biology from Emory University, and an MFA in Dance from the University of Colorado Boulder with emphases in Ethnic Studies and Arts Administration. Jessica is currently an Assistant Professor in Theatre and Dance at Gonzaga University. Guided by Black feminist and womanist thought and communal liberation practices, her teaching and artistic work center empowerment, self-determination, and collective meaning-making. Grounded in improvisation and contemporary techniques, her choreographic practice draws from Africanist aesthetics to foster vitality, ancestral connection, and communal engagement. Her work has been presented and recognized at the American College Dance Association Southeast and Northwest Conferences, 7Stages Theatre, The Dairy Arts Center, The Ferst Center for the Performing Arts, Rialto Center for the Arts, and The Atlanta Contemporary Museum.

Giramata (she/they) is an anti/ ante-disciplinary artist, community organizer and Assistant Professor in the department of Gender Studies. She holds a Ph.D. in Gender and Women Studies with a minor in African and African Diaspora Studies from the University of Arizona. Their work sits in the fields of global Black feminisms, anti-colonial Black visual Arts and Critical Trauma Studies. Their work interrogates practices of Black memory that extend beyond legacies of coloniality and coloniality through Rwandan audio-theatrical performances of ikinamico. Giramata currently serves as the Chair of the Transnational Feminisms Caucus at the National Women Studies Association. They are the convener of the first and only free Black feminist community library in Kigali, Rwanda -Kamaliza Reads and the only Black feminist collective in Rwanda, Sistah Circle Collective. They are the convener of the Black African Girlhood Caucus and the Queer and Trans Futures conference housed at the University of Arizona.

Dr. Jessica S. Samuel is the founder & CEO of Radical Education & Advocacy League, LLC (REAL), an educational equity firm focused on helping BIPOC students thrive, not just survive. She is an educator, interdisciplinary scholar, and decolonial activist whose work focuses on race, education, colonialism and the environment, including where they all might converge, in the United States and Caribbean. Dr. Samuel served as an appointed member of the Racial Imbalance Advisory Council for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and is a member of Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC). She is also Education Committee Chair for Right to Democracy, an organization committed to confronting U.S. colonialism in all five American territories. Dr. Samuel holds a PhD in American Studies from Boston University, a Master of Education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and a Bachelor in African American Studies and Anthropology from Wesleyan University. Most recently, Dr. Samuel has been appointed as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of African & African American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis.

Keisha-Khan Y. Perry is the Presidential Penn Compact Associate Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on race, gender and politics in the Americas, urban geography and questions of citizenship, Black women’s intellectual histories, and the interrelationship between scholarship, pedagogy and political engagement. Her first book, Black Women against the Land Grab: The Fight for Racial Justice in Brazil, won the 2014 National Women’s Studies Association Gloria Anzaldúa Book Prize and an updated and revised Portuguese translation was just published in September 2022 by the Federal University of Bahia Press. She published the edited volume Black Women in Latin America and the Caribbean: Critical Perspectives and Research with Melanie Medeiros (Rutgers University Press, 2023). She is currently working on two book projects: Evictions and Convictions: The Right to Home and life in the Americas and The Fire Inside: The Social Justice Imperative at the Heart of African Diaspora Studies.

Dr. Jessica S. Samuel is the founder & CEO of Radical Education & Advocacy League, LLC (REAL), an educational equity firm focused on helping BIPOC students thrive, not just survive. She is an educator, interdisciplinary scholar, and decolonial activist whose work focuses on race, education, colonialism and the environment, including where they all might converge, in the United States and Caribbean. Dr. Samuel served as an appointed member of the Racial Imbalance Advisory Council for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and is a member of Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC). She is also Education Committee Chair for Right to Democracy, an organization committed to confronting U.S. colonialism in all five American territories. Dr. Samuel holds a PhD in American Studies from Boston University, a Master of Education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and a Bachelor in African American Studies and Anthropology from Wesleyan University. Most recently, Dr. Samuel has been appointed as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of African & African American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Jallicia Jolly is an Assistant Professor in American Studies and Black Studies at Amherst College and a Visiting Scholar at Princeton University's Center on Transnational Policing and the Effron Center for the Study of America. She is the founder and director of the Black Feminist Reproductive Justice, Equity, and HIV/AIDS Activism (BREHA) Collective—an interdisciplinary, medical humanities lab that bridges research, advocacy, student collaborations, and high-impact learning experiences on the health and movement-building of Afro-diasporic girls, women, and gender diverse people. A 2025 National Academy of Sciences U.S. Kavli Fellow, Dr. Jolly’s first book manuscript, Ill Erotics: Black Caribbean Women and Self-Making in the Time of HIV/AIDS (University of California Press, Forthcoming 2026), is an ethnography of the reproductive justice organizing of young Black Jamaican women living and loving with HIV that chronicles their everyday confrontations with illness, reproductive violence, and inequality in neocolonial Jamaica.

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Dawn Jones is a two-time graduate of Texas Southern University, and a proud mother of two. She has dedicated the past decade to social justice advocacy, managing student organizing programs for presidential, senate, and gubernatorial campaigns. With extensive experience in building grassroots movements, she now serves as the Texas Organizing Director for COURIER Texas, where she bridges the gap between organizing and civic media.

Shereen Ashman is an award-winning leader in innovation strategy and an artist-scholar who works at the intersection of learning, leadership, cultural adaptation, and social impact. She leads multi-stakeholder initiatives that advance capacity-building, social learning, and leadership development across education, workforce development, community development, and public wellbeing. Over two decades, Shereen has pioneered programs, co-founded nonprofit organizations, and earned cross-sector recognition for her contributions to socio-economic justice and collective wellbeing. Her work has been featured by the BBC, CBC, the Toronto Star, Caribbean media, and Oprah’s Lifeclass. She is the recipient of the 2024 Coronation Medal for valuable contributions to Canada, the 2022 Premier’s Award in Community Services, and multiple Alumnus of Distinction from Centennial College and Community Impact awards. An educator and public scholar, Shereen has taught in college, community and corporate settings. She is a sought-after keynote speaker, trainer, and moderator internationally. In her current role at Saccae Studio, she supports leaders and institutions to design culturally responsive learning, leadership tools, and innovation strategies.

Ula Taylor is a professor in the Department of African American Studies. Her published work includes The Veiled Garvey: The Life and Times of Amy Jacques Garvey and The Promise of Patriarchy: Women and the Nation of Islam, both published with the University of North Carolina Press. She is most proud however of her former students who are transforming the field of Black Studies.

Dr. Leslie Ekpe is an assistant professor in the Department of Higher Education and Learning Technologies at East Texas A&M University. Before her current role, she earned her Ph.D. in Higher Educational Leadership from Texas Christian University. She is a Visiting Scholar at Rutgers University's Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute for Leadership, Equity, and Justice and a community fellow for BRAVE/R Together 76104, a grassroots initiative in Fort Worth, Texas, focused on eliminating racial disparities in housing, business/economic development, healthcare, and education. She conducts qualitative research on college access, racial equity, and minority-serving institutions (MSIs), analyzing the challenges faced by marginalized populations. She also investigates equitable practices and policies that institutions and societies can implement and sustain, while highlighting culturally responsive practices within MSIs.

Imani Hutchinson, MSW, is a policy researcher and program evaluator with deep expertise in equitable evaluation, cultural humility, and social justice. As a Research Analyst at MEF Associates, she leads and supports federal and state evaluations related to TANF, SNAP, child support, and Head Start, integrating culturally responsive and anti-racist practices throughout the research process. Imani has managed qualitative studies, co-developed equity-focused evaluation tools, and guided technical assistance for human service agencies nationwide. Her work centers on elevating community voice particularly from individuals with lived experience to improve program effectiveness and accountability. Imani has presented on equitable evaluation at national forums and holds a Master of Social Work from Howard University with a concentration on displaced and marginalized populations.

Safia Abdulle (she/her) is a PhD candidate in the School of Social Work at York University. Her work focuses on race, neurodiversity and health equity, and is informed by critical race, Black feminist, and disability-justice lenses. As a published researcher, Safia’s current work focuses on highlighting the diagnostic inequities faced by Black, neurodivergent youth. Safia also holds a Master of Social Work and a BA in Developmental Psychology. She has extensive experience supporting racialized and minoritized children, young adults, and families in clinical, educational, and community settings as a clinical supervisor and social worker. Moreover, Safia is a first-generation immigrant-settler, and a Black, Canadian, Muslim woman. Her positionality makes her passionate about deepening social, clinical, and academic discourse on the impacts of intersectionality for minoritized people, to advance more equity-focused systems of care.

Dr. Alaundra Shealey earned her PhD in Apparel Design from Auburn University where she focused her discipline on the entwinement textile/materials and Black women’s intersectionalities. As an apparel designer, artist, and researcher, Alaundra’s designs focus on the interplay of art, fiber art, garment design, and Black feminism. Her practice and research interplay traditional ways of making with computer digitization and other technology with a focus on liberating Black women’s bodies through textile storytelling.

Ashley Wells is a Ph.D. candidate in American Studies & Culture at Washington State University, where she specializes in Black women’s mental health, African American religious history, and the afterlife of slavery. Her dissertation examines how the Black Church has functioned as both a site of care and silence in shaping Black women’s experiences of psychological distress, with particular attention to emotional labor, respectability politics, and historical trauma. Ashley’s research bridges Black feminist theory, health humanities, and cultural history, and she is currently developing her dissertation into a book project. Her work has been presented at national conferences including ASALH, NWSA, and NCORE, and her scholarship appears or is forthcoming in Feminist Media Studies and other edited volumes. She is committed to scholarship that centers Black women’s lived experiences and advances culturally grounded approaches to wellness and care.

“Pro-Black Pedagogy in K-12 Education: A Narrative of Black Motherhood”

Prilly Bicknell-Hersco, is a Black Mother-Scholar and PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education at York University, Canada. Her research explores the intersections of Black motherwork, critical disability studies, and Black student experiences in higher education, grounded in Black feminist thought, critical race theory, and Black dis/ability politics. Prilly teaches a Black studies course at York University titled Cultures of Resistance, where students engage with historical and contemporary issues of Black life in the Americas. She serves as an advisory board member for the federally funded project “Black Maternal Pedagogies” and is the Justice, Equity, and Redress of Anti-Black Racism committee representative at her university. She currently serves as the membership chair of the Black Women’s Studies Association. Prilly is deeply committed to advancing the work of Black womxn scholars, activists, artists, and community members across borders and within Black diasporic communities.

Amber M. Neal-Stanley, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Curriculum Studies in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Purdue University. Her research agenda converges at the intersection of Black education studies, critical qualitative inquiry, and faith as a vehicle for educational transformation. Her research, teaching, and service are informed by her lived experiences as a Detroit Public School (DPS) student as well as professional experiences as a social worker and public elementary school teacher. Dr. Neal-Stanley is committed to preparing diverse students to address structural inequity, (re)member Black radical traditions, and employ humanizing pedagogical and research approaches. Her recent research has been published in Curriculum Inquiry, Religion & Education, Equity and Excellence in Education, and Qualitative Inquiry.

Dr. Shaeeda Mensah is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Gender Studies at McDaniel College. She holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Pennsylvania State University and a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Spelman College. Her  areas of research and teaching specialization include black feminisms, queer theory, social and political philosophy, and ethics. Her current research focuses on Black women’s experiences with police violence and mass incarceration. More specifically, her research centers Black women as victims of police violence and mass incarceration, and considers the social, political, and epistemological implications of centering Black men and boys as the near exclusive targets of such practices.

Dr. Melanie R. Holmes is an Assistant Professor of African American Studies at the University of South Carolina. She received her PhD in history with a specialization in the African Diaspora, and a certificate in Women’s Studies, at Howard University. Her research prioritizes the diverse regions, individual causes, and various strategies of Black Power movements. Dr. Holmes was previously a lecturer at Howard University where she taught courses in the African Diaspora, United States History, Women’s Studies, and Caribbean Studies. Prior to entering academia, she earned her master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania. She worked in District of Columbia Public Schools for ten years as a Social Studies instructional coach, department chair, curriculum writer, and taught multiple secondary history courses. Having earned her Bachelor of Arts in print journalism from Howard University, Dr. Holmes began her career as a reporter for The Philadelphia Tribune and Afro-American Newspaper.

Dr. Chenelle S. Boatswain is an educator, scholar, and master facilitator dedicated to supporting the sustaining success of Black women leaders. She is the founder of CSB Consulting Services, where she partners with academic institutions to advance institutional transformation and disrupt isolation, burnout, and attrition among women of color in leadership. Dr. Boatswain’s consulting and facilitation are deeply informed by her scholarship, which examines the resilience practices of Black women leaders and the role of collective care in leadership sustainability. Her forthcoming chapter, “Protecting the Unprotected,” will appear in Thriving in Higher Education. Her work has been featured nationally with the American Educational Research Association, the Black Women’s Studies Association, and the National Women’s Studies Association. She is the Associate Director of the Mid-Career Doctoral Program in Education Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania and holds a Master of Education from Harvard University as well as a Doctor of Education from the University of Pennsylvania.

Rehshetta is a doctoral student in Educational Studies with a concentration in Higher Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her work centers the racialized and gendered labor of Black women and femmes in higher education, with particular attention to the often-invisible care, mentoring, and community-building practices that sustain academic institutions and people within them. In addition to this focus, rehshetta is engaged in Open Education research and practice, guided by a commitment to access, equity, and the sharing of knowledge across higher education and carceral learning spaces. This scholarship is rooted in care, justice, and belonging. It reflects a deep investment in bridging research, teaching, and community-engaged work in ways that honor lived experience and collective survival.

Desirae Terrell is a PhD student in Global Leadership and Change at Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology. She holds a master’s degree in Higher Education from Pepperdine and a bachelor’s degree in Black Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her interdisciplinary research centers on women of color in leadership, Black feminist theory, and the lived experiences of the global African diaspora. She also examines higher education leadership and the systemic barriers that shape equity, inclusion, persistence, and retention for Black students and other historically marginalized communities. Her scholarship draws on transformational, authentic, ethical, and adaptive leadership frameworks to explore culturally responsive practices in complex and intercultural contexts. Desirae currently works within the California State University system and aspires to teach at the college and graduate levels in Black Studies, Women’s Studies, and Higher Education, or to pursue a learning and development or organizational effectiveness role. She is also a mother of two and enjoys family time, reading, and crime fiction.

Imani Hutchinson, MSW, is a policy researcher and program evaluator with deep expertise in equitable evaluation, cultural humility, and social justice. As a Research Analyst at MEF Associates, she leads and supports federal and state evaluations related to TANF, SNAP, child support, and Head Start, integrating culturally responsive and anti-racist practices throughout the research process. Imani has managed qualitative studies, co-developed equity-focused evaluation tools, and guided technical assistance for human service agencies nationwide. Her work centers on elevating community voice particularly from individuals with lived experience to improve program effectiveness and accountability. Imani has presented on equitable evaluation at national forums and holds a Master of Social Work from Howard University with a concentration on displaced and marginalized populations.

Dr. Alaundra Shealey earned her PhD in Apparel Design from Auburn University where she focused her discipline on the entwinement textile/materials and Black women’s intersectionalities. As an apparel designer, artist, and researcher, Alaundra’s designs focus on the interplay of art, fiber art, garment design, and Black feminism. Her practice and research interplay traditional ways of making with computer digitization and other technology with a focus on liberating Black women’s bodies through textile storytelling.

Diahara Traoré is an Assistant Professor at the Université de Montréal’s School of Social Work. Her research bridges ethnography of religion, Black Studies, and anti-racist groupwork, examining how spirituality, migration, and structural racism shape care, belonging, and wellbeing among Afrodescendant communities in Québec. She is the author of Musulmanes ouest-africaines au Québec, entre subversion et conformité (Presses de l’Université de Montréal, 2019) and has published on Afrocentric and intersectional methodologies, cognitive justice, transdisciplinarity, and politics of belonging. She co-edits Pratiques et méthodologies intersectionnelles et décolonisatrices en recherche (forthcoming) and partners with community organizations to co-produce practice-facing knowledge. Her current projects focus on Black Christian women spiritual leaders as trusted points of entry in mental health pathways, and on culturally grounded pedagogies for social work education. Before entering academia, she held leadership roles in refugee and community organizations in Canada, grounding her commitment to participatory research, knowledge mobilization, and practitioner training.

Deirdre Jonese Austin (she/her) is a writer, womanist minister, and Black feminist anthropologist and ethnographer raised in the South and in the Church. Her writing and research develop out of her own experience and explore topics at the intersection of religion, race, gender and sexuality, and justice. Jonese has a Master of Divinity degree from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. She is currently a PhD candidate at Duke University in Cultural Anthropology, pursuing certificates in Feminist Studies and African and African American Studies. Her doctoral project explores how Black women dancers in the U.S. South cultivate the sacred in their relationships with their own bodies and sexualities, the divine, and other dancers at Black churches and at pole dance and fitness studios. To learn more about Jonese, visit DeirdreJoneseAustin.com.

Chloe Dugied is a Black educator and researcher, and a registered member of the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT). She holds a Master of Education from York University and is completing her graduate studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (University of Toronto). Her authorship and research explore education policy, EDI policy, anti-Black racism education, and Black student success. Through various research and graduate assistant positions, she advances equity-driven projects that promote belonging, inclusive leadership, and systemic change in education. 

Dr. Jessica S. Samuel is the founder & CEO of Radical Education & Advocacy League, LLC (REAL), an educational equity firm focused on helping BIPOC students thrive, not just survive. She is an educator, interdisciplinary scholar, and decolonial activist whose work focuses on race, education, colonialism and the environment, including where they all might converge, in the United States and Caribbean. Dr. Samuel served as an appointed member of the Racial Imbalance Advisory Council for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and is a member of Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC). She is also Education Committee Chair for Right to Democracy, an organization committed to confronting U.S. colonialism in all five American territories. Dr. Samuel holds a PhD in American Studies from Boston University, a Master of Education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and a Bachelor in African American Studies and Anthropology from Wesleyan University. Most recently, Dr. Samuel has been appointed as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of African & African American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Shauna Rigaud is a cultural studies scholar whose work explores the intersections of race, gender, identity, and power within the African diaspora, with a particular focus on the anglophone Caribbean. Her research interests seek to draw doted lines between Black American and Caribbean American experiences, through the work of women, cultural practices, and ideas of solidarity and nation building. A first-generation college graduate, her academic journey began at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where she earned a B.A. in Afro-American History. She holds a dual Master’s in Gender/Cultural Studies and Communication Management from Simmons University in Boston and she completed her PhD in Cultural Studies from George Mason University, in Virginia. She is currently the Associate Director of the Office of Community Engagement and Civic Learning at George Mason University. She is also a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated.