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, Assistant Professor

School of Education, Howard University

When: Thursday, September 18th, 4-5:30pm

Where: Benjamin Building 0220

Topic: Your Silence Will Not Protect You: From Critical Reflection to Radical Responsibility

This talk challenges participants to confront the limits of silent reflection in the face of systemic oppression. Drawing on the ethical and moral imperatives of social justice leadership, it calls for a shift from passive awareness to courageous, principled action. In an era where neutrality sustains inequity, the talk affirms that silence—especially in moments of injustice—is not a shield but a choice with consequences. Participants will be invited to examine the risks and responsibilities of speaking out, even when fear is present, and to embrace radical responsibility as a necessary act of ethical leadership and collective liberation.

, Fellow - Governance Studies

Brown Center on Education Policy, Brookings Institute

When: Tuesday, October 28th, 12 - 1pm

Where: Benjamin Building 0306

Topic: A Promise Unfulfilled: How Title VI is Used to Remedy Racial Discrimination in K-12 Public Schools

Attending Virtually?

A vast body of research demonstrates the myriad ways that racially discriminatory school policies and practices contribute to racial educational inequalities. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is responsible for protecting students’ civil rights in public schools—including protection from racial discrimination per Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. OCR enforces Title VI and other federal civil rights laws by investigating potential violations—initiated largely in response to civil rights complaints filed on behalf of student groups. Yet, little is known about how effectively OCR enforces these federal protections. This paper presents the first systematic analysis of OCR’s Title VI enforcement in K-12 public schools using newly obtained complaint data from 1999 to 2019. The findings reveal a rise in Title VI complaints over time. However, most Title VI complaints are never investigated, and most Title VI investigations do not result in any mandated policy reforms. These results suggest that Title VI may be under-enforced, raising broader concerns about whether Title VI enforcement can effectively remedy well-documented discriminatory school practices and policies. 

, Assistant Professor of Advanced Studies, Leadership, and Policy

School of Education and Urban Studies, Morgan State University

When: Tuesday, December 2nd, 12 - 1pm

Where: Benjamin Building 0306

Topic: Unions, Limits, and Liberation: Toward a Critical Understanding of the Higher Education Workplace and the Labor Struggles Within

Attending Virtually?

This talk examines how higher education workers understand and engage with their unions, as well as how they organize in response to union limitations. I show how workers both value unions and critique their effectiveness, often turning to grassroots strategies of individual and collective resistance to foster change from within and beyond the union framework. The talk invites participants to reframe higher education not only as an educational site but as a workplace shaped by labor struggles, power relations, and subjugation. Drawing on empirical data, I outline both policy recommendations and grassroots strategies that inch us closer to liberation.