Center of Racial Justice Youth Board Hosts Author Bettina Love for Annual End-of-Year Teach-in Event on May 3

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The College of Education’s Center of Racial Justice (CRJ) and Youth Engaged Research will host its third annual Youth Board Teach-in featuring New York Times bestselling author and public speaker Bettina Love on Friday, May 3, for a two-part day-long event at the College of Education in Furcolo Hall.

From 10:30 a.m.- 2 p.m., the CRJ Youth Board will lead a Teach-in, including themed sessions and workshops, followed by a youth-centered session with Love and participating students and educators from area high schools. From 3-4:15 p.m., the UMass Amherst community and the public are invited to join students and educators for the afternoon CRJ co-founder talk, Love’s keynote address and a Q&A session.

“We have about 200-plus students joining us and they'll be able to select workshops to participate in with their teachers who are joining them and then they have this awesome opportunity to meet with Dr. Bettina Love, who is a New York Times bestselling author and scholar,” says Keisha Green, assistant professor of teacher education and school improvement in the College of Education, and CRJ co-founder. 

Love is the William F. Russell Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, and author of the books “Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal” and “We Want to Do More Than Survive.”  In 2022, The Kennedy Center named Love as “One of the Next 50 Leaders” who are making the world more inspired, inclusive and compassionate. Love is also a co-founder of the Abolitionist Teaching Network (ATN).

Placing BIPOC youth at the center of racial and educational justice across all disciplines in education, the CRJ was founded in 2020 originally as an initiative by Jamila Lyiscott, assistant professor of social justice education, and Green to highlight the voices and experiences of BIPOC youth, and to put them at the center of educational transformation, educational research and teacher education.

The focus on youth perspectives led to the creation of the Youth Board, which engages in youth-participatory research to help inform and carry out the center’s vision for racial equity and educational justice. The work of the Youth Board provides critical input for educating and training the next generation of educators. 

This year’s Youth Board comprised 11 students from area high schools. Along with alumni and adult accomplices, those students designed and organized the teach-in sessions and workshops that will take place throughout the day. Among the area schools participating include the Springfield Honors Academy, the Springfield Renaissance School, Pioneer Valley Performing Arts and Holyoke High School.

To register, visit the CRJ Youth Board End of the Year Event registration form. For more information about the event, visit the Office of Equity and Inclusion events webpage.