| flyer_educators_for_social_justice_conference_2018.pdf |
This year's Educating for Change Curriculum Conference was on
Saturday, February 24, 2018
at
Wydown Middle School
6500 Wydown Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63105
8:00am-4:30pm
Theme:
"Building Counter-Narratives for Radical
Healing & Hope"
Due to escalating incidents of violence, discrimination, and misrepresentations of truth, many of our children are in need of radical healing and hope. This year's Educating for Change Conference seeks to hone our great power as educators to build counter-narratives, which disrupt misrepresentations that give voice to alternative facts. This project is historically urgent. Join us in our efforts to use counter-narratives as a tool for fostering hope and healing so that we may resist traditional domination, empower marginalized communities, and move toward sustainable solutions to today's crises.
Play written by: JAMIE PACHINO
Jamie's plays include Other than Honorable (Upcoming World Premiere at Geva Theatre, Winner of the Blue Ink Award, Winner of the John Gassner Award, Reading at LCT3), Splitting Infinity (Geva Theatre), Some of the People, All of the Time (workshops at Pasadena Playhouse, Asolo Rep); Waving Goodbye (Steppenwolf and Naked Eye Theatre), The Return to Morality (InterAct Theatre), Race (Strawdog Theatre), Aurora’s Motive (Teatro Vista), and Theodora: An Unauthorized Biography (Bailiwick Rep), and have been developed and produced around the country. She has been named the winner of the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays production grant, the Laurie Foundation’s Visionary Award and Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson (“Jeff”) Award for Best New Work, and is the only three-time winner of the Ashland New Plays Festival. www.jamiepachino.com
Jamie's plays include Other than Honorable (Upcoming World Premiere at Geva Theatre, Winner of the Blue Ink Award, Winner of the John Gassner Award, Reading at LCT3), Splitting Infinity (Geva Theatre), Some of the People, All of the Time (workshops at Pasadena Playhouse, Asolo Rep); Waving Goodbye (Steppenwolf and Naked Eye Theatre), The Return to Morality (InterAct Theatre), Race (Strawdog Theatre), Aurora’s Motive (Teatro Vista), and Theodora: An Unauthorized Biography (Bailiwick Rep), and have been developed and produced around the country. She has been named the winner of the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays production grant, the Laurie Foundation’s Visionary Award and Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson (“Jeff”) Award for Best New Work, and is the only three-time winner of the Ashland New Plays Festival. www.jamiepachino.com
First published in 1992 at the height of the furor over the Rodney King incident, Studs Terkel's Race was an immediate best-seller. In a rare and revealing look at how people in America truly feel about race, Pachino prings out the full complexity of the thoughts and emotions of both blacks and whites, uncovering a fascinating narrative of changing positions. Only rarely to Americans talk openly about attitudes that few are willing to admit in public; feelings about affirmative action, gentrification, secret prejudices, and dashed hopes. (Missouri History Museum)
Jamie Pachino is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and television writer. Her work has been produced in four countries, commissioned, published and honored. Her adaptation of RACE has toured the country in a version for young audiences, reaching over 16,000 students.
Chicago Tribune says: "Jamie Pachino's adaptation of Studs Terkel's bestseller about race in America is "...a fluid and fascinating adaptation...[that] succeeds where theater does best. It makes us see, hear and hurt through others' souls"
L.A. Weekly writes: "I especially recommend this play to those who consider themselves racially unbiased."
Jamie Pachino is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and television writer. Her work has been produced in four countries, commissioned, published and honored. Her adaptation of RACE has toured the country in a version for young audiences, reaching over 16,000 students.
Chicago Tribune says: "Jamie Pachino's adaptation of Studs Terkel's bestseller about race in America is "...a fluid and fascinating adaptation...[that] succeeds where theater does best. It makes us see, hear and hurt through others' souls"
L.A. Weekly writes: "I especially recommend this play to those who consider themselves racially unbiased."
Keynote Presentation:
RACE
an award-winning play by Jamie Pachino
performed by the Civic Arts Company
based on Studs Terkel novel
RACE
an award-winning play by Jamie Pachino
performed by the Civic Arts Company
based on Studs Terkel novel
Keynote Title: An Urgent Need to Agitate: Historicizing Education to Advance Pedagogy in Classrooms
Keynote Abstract: While our nation wrestles with tensions for meaningful solutions for advancing the literacy education for culturally and linguistically diverse youth across our country, an interpretive historical frame is often absent from the conversation. Youth are being misrepresented, treated violently and dehumanized in and around schools and consequently, it becomes an urgent time for classroom instruction to respond to social and racial injustice. This keynote will focus on how pedagogy can be reoriented to excellent historical literacy practices that are central for the academic and personal success of students. Specifically, Dr. Muhammad will invite educators to understand “agitation literacies,” which are practices of reading, writing, thinking and speaking connected to the action of upsetting, disturbing, and unhinging systemic oppressions. A pedagogical model, grounded history will be offered to advance in the areas of criticality, intellectualism, identity, and skill development in teaching and learning. This work is significant due to a need for transformative literacy practices in classrooms—practices that restore excellence in history and connect youth to their lineages.
Bio: Gholnecsar “Gholdy” Muhammad began her career as a reading, language arts, and social studies middle school teacher. After teaching in the classroom, she served as a school district curriculum supervisor and was responsible for K-12 literacy instruction, assessments, and professional development. Dr. Muhammad received her PhD in Literacy, Language and Culture at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her research interests are situated in social and historical foundations of literacy development and the writing practices among Black women and girls. She also explores historic literacy collaboratives to understand literacy development and how the roles of writing can be reconceptualized in secondary classrooms. She became interested in this line of research when she led a summer writing institute with Black girls called, Black Girls WRITE! which was reflective of literacy practices found in nineteenth century literary societies. She continues to hold summer literacy programs with Black and Brown youth as well as Muslim girls. She explores how historical practices among communities of color can be used with adolescent learners today. Some of the journals she has published articles in include, Research in the Teaching of English, Urban Education, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy and Written Communication. Dr. Muhammad is currently an assistant professor at Georgia State University teaching literacy and language in the Department of Middle and Secondary Education. Additionally, she serves as the executive director of the Urban Literacy Collaborative and Clinic. She strives to shape the national conversation for educating youth who have been underserved and support the next generation of educators who are seeking practical and intellectual pathways to meet some of the most pressing challenges encountered in and around urban schools. She works with teachers and youth across the United States and South Africa in best practices in literacy instruction. She also served as a school board chair and continues to work collaboratively with local schools across communities in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Dr. Muhammad is the 2014 recipient of the National Council of Teachers of English, Promising New Researcher Award, the 2015 NCTE Alan C. Purves Award, the 2016 NCTE CEE Janet Emig awardee, and the 2017 Georgia State University Urban Education Research Awardee.
Check out recent media pieces by and on Gholdy:
Keynote Abstract: While our nation wrestles with tensions for meaningful solutions for advancing the literacy education for culturally and linguistically diverse youth across our country, an interpretive historical frame is often absent from the conversation. Youth are being misrepresented, treated violently and dehumanized in and around schools and consequently, it becomes an urgent time for classroom instruction to respond to social and racial injustice. This keynote will focus on how pedagogy can be reoriented to excellent historical literacy practices that are central for the academic and personal success of students. Specifically, Dr. Muhammad will invite educators to understand “agitation literacies,” which are practices of reading, writing, thinking and speaking connected to the action of upsetting, disturbing, and unhinging systemic oppressions. A pedagogical model, grounded history will be offered to advance in the areas of criticality, intellectualism, identity, and skill development in teaching and learning. This work is significant due to a need for transformative literacy practices in classrooms—practices that restore excellence in history and connect youth to their lineages.
Bio: Gholnecsar “Gholdy” Muhammad began her career as a reading, language arts, and social studies middle school teacher. After teaching in the classroom, she served as a school district curriculum supervisor and was responsible for K-12 literacy instruction, assessments, and professional development. Dr. Muhammad received her PhD in Literacy, Language and Culture at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her research interests are situated in social and historical foundations of literacy development and the writing practices among Black women and girls. She also explores historic literacy collaboratives to understand literacy development and how the roles of writing can be reconceptualized in secondary classrooms. She became interested in this line of research when she led a summer writing institute with Black girls called, Black Girls WRITE! which was reflective of literacy practices found in nineteenth century literary societies. She continues to hold summer literacy programs with Black and Brown youth as well as Muslim girls. She explores how historical practices among communities of color can be used with adolescent learners today. Some of the journals she has published articles in include, Research in the Teaching of English, Urban Education, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy and Written Communication. Dr. Muhammad is currently an assistant professor at Georgia State University teaching literacy and language in the Department of Middle and Secondary Education. Additionally, she serves as the executive director of the Urban Literacy Collaborative and Clinic. She strives to shape the national conversation for educating youth who have been underserved and support the next generation of educators who are seeking practical and intellectual pathways to meet some of the most pressing challenges encountered in and around urban schools. She works with teachers and youth across the United States and South Africa in best practices in literacy instruction. She also served as a school board chair and continues to work collaboratively with local schools across communities in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Dr. Muhammad is the 2014 recipient of the National Council of Teachers of English, Promising New Researcher Award, the 2015 NCTE Alan C. Purves Award, the 2016 NCTE CEE Janet Emig awardee, and the 2017 Georgia State University Urban Education Research Awardee.
Check out recent media pieces by and on Gholdy:
- https://soundcloud.com/georgia-state-cehd/identity-development-skills-intellect-and-criticality-are-the-classrooms-nucleus
- https://writerswhocare.wordpress.com/2015/08/31/black-girls-lives-matter-in-writing-too/
- http://blogs.ncte.org/index.php/2015/05/writing-to-make-sense/
- http://www.reading.org/downloads/podcasts/jaal-56-3-GholnecsarMuhammad.mp3
- http://collegecompositionweekly.com/2015/04/29/gholnecsar-e-muhammad-self-representation-of-african-american-girls-rte-feb-2015-posted-042915/
2018
13th Annual Educating for Change
Curriculum Fair
February 24th, 2018 at Wydown Middle School
2018 Program
Theme
“Courageous Teaching and Civil Rights in the 21st Century”