You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.
~ Angela Davis
~ Angela Davis
About Me
I am an assistant professor and critical educator in the Teacher Education Division at Wayne State University. I identify as a white, pansexual cis woman with non-visible disabilities. I am an activist and abolitionist, and I live in Detroit. My primary line of inquiry focuses on how school systems, policies, and practices impact multiply marginalized youth and adults from their perspectives. I use critical theories, including disability critical race theory, critical spatial theory, and intersectionality, and qualitative (interviews, focus groups) and visual (photovoice, cartography) methods. I believe that schools should ask students about their experiences and then make changes based on their solutions and suggestions. I am particularly interested in learning from and with girls of color, including girls of color who identify with or have been labeled with disabilities (i.e., autism, cerebral palsy, deaf/blindness, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities). I believe their experiences and perspectives are vital to truly reconstruct schools. I also work with educators to create learning communities that are culturally responsive, culturally sustaining, and inclusive and with families from diverse backgrounds to transform family-school-community partnerships. Equity, justice, interconnectedness, and access are at the heart of my work.
I grew up in Faribault, Minnesota. Before pursuing a PhD, I was a public school teacher in big city spaces (Minneapolis, MN and Phoenix, AZ) and rural communities (Homer, AK) for 8 years. Also, I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Namibia (2007-2009), a Peace Corps Response Volunteer in Liberia (2014), and an AmeriCorps Vista Volunteer in Homer, AK (2015). I enjoy spending time with friends, family, and especially my dog Marley. I thrive being outside hiking, camping, and gardening. I am a photographer always and sometimes a musician too.
As you read and explore this website, my hope is that you will see how my beliefs and actions concerning research, teaching, and service integrally inform one another. I see research as an avenue to rupture dominant ideologies and reimagine and recreate schooling by listening to, learning from, and following the lead of multiply marginalized communities. I pair service with teaching for meaningful, collaborative partnerships.
I grew up in Faribault, Minnesota. Before pursuing a PhD, I was a public school teacher in big city spaces (Minneapolis, MN and Phoenix, AZ) and rural communities (Homer, AK) for 8 years. Also, I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Namibia (2007-2009), a Peace Corps Response Volunteer in Liberia (2014), and an AmeriCorps Vista Volunteer in Homer, AK (2015). I enjoy spending time with friends, family, and especially my dog Marley. I thrive being outside hiking, camping, and gardening. I am a photographer always and sometimes a musician too.
As you read and explore this website, my hope is that you will see how my beliefs and actions concerning research, teaching, and service integrally inform one another. I see research as an avenue to rupture dominant ideologies and reimagine and recreate schooling by listening to, learning from, and following the lead of multiply marginalized communities. I pair service with teaching for meaningful, collaborative partnerships.
