Research
Urban Education
Alternative Education
Instructional Leadership
Equity / The Opportunity Gap
Anti-Racist Education
Digital Literacy
Areas of Interest
School-to-Prison Pipeline
Culturally Responsive Education
Social Justice Leadership
Racial Literacy
Media Literacy
As a product of both public schooling in a low-income neighborhood as well as independent, private schooling, I have witnessed firsthand the realities of educational inequity. Through navigating experiences in and through a Historically Black University (HBCU), Hampton University, as well as predominantly white institutions (PWIs), I understand full-well the importance of cultural competency and responsive education. Having witnessed many friends and family members navigate the Juvenile (in)Justice System and adult incarceration, I know the school-to-prison pipeline and prison industrial complex intimately. And having lived through all of this as a Blackgirl and now as a Blackwoman, I reflect on the intricacies of each story along the journey and the ways in which these variables have contributed to who I am and why I pursue the work I do.
Grounded in Critical Race Theory (CRT) coupled with Black Feminist Thought and Endarkened Feminist Epistemology, my research seeks to unveil truth beneath the layers of bigotry, racism, sexism, and patriarchy, as a means of journeying toward self- and communal-healing. I believe in the power of participatory methods to uplift marginalized voices and to acknowledge the expertise on the ground, outside of the academy and within urban communities. My passion lies most deeply in forgotten places and with invisibilized people—Those who have been pushed to the margins by society as well as by themselves. Anytime I neglect myself, overwork myself, or fail to achieve the balance I need to sustain myself, I place myself in those margins as well. Because of this, my research begins with me.