So there are a number of strategies in place to think about building an anti-racist community at the School of Education.
Actually opening up our eyes and lens to like what that even means, and who it all includes.
Our students get a really robust orientation, and so much of that is about building a humanizing connection and community. And then I would say, on the faculty and staff side, it's also about building community. Really getting to understand people's stories, and people's backgrounds, and experiences shape who they are. And we really want that to show up in the way people teach, lead, create partnerships.
So we've had really good guest speakers come in to talk to us and sort of like, light a fire of like, yes, we can keep pushing forward with this work of resistance.
And the one particular event that I think has become a hallmark of the School of Education is our annual conference SIEEJ. But it's a time and a space for educators, activists, politicians, those who want to focus on policy to come together to really think about how their work can center justice. How we can really think about the type of inclusive community we need to have both for today's students and for tomorrow's future leaders.
The thing that attracted me to this our AU EdD program was I'm a resident of Washington, DC, and I decided I needed to do something else that would impact the field of education in a larger way. I'm hoping that what I can do is pilot a program called, "I Belong in Higher Ed" to increase the number of people of color that are actually getting doctor degrees. And what I'm hoping that will happen is that students will graduate, become educational leaders, and be models for students that we're servicing within districts.
