This talk will illustrate the various ways that colonization is not just a historical legacy but a present reality. As educators within higher education we have a responsibility to recognize, acknowledge, and address how our institutions benefit from colonization so that we can begin to disrupt and dismantle systems of settler colonialism and oppression.

This talk will focus on critical and decolonial praxis in STEM education. I will briefly present the colonial and neoliberal underpinnings of STEM education and discuss ways to advance a more authentically inclusive STEM teaching, learning and research praxis.

In this talk, Toliver utilizes the Black Radical Imagination and Critical Race English Education to foreground a conversation about how Black girls’ science fiction stories can help educators see and appreciate Black girls’ ways of being, knowing, and dreaming. Further, she discusses how these stories can assist educators in altering their pedagogy to honor and center Black girls’ storytelling as a means to counter the anti-blackness that permeates educational spaces.

Families are central to the learning process. Too often, however, families and community members are left out of conversations on curriculum and pedagogy. As such, this session attempts to model community-engaged praxis. Principal Sabrina Hill-Black will facilitate a discussion with DC Virgo Preparatory Academy families about what they want college/university faculty to be thinking about when teaching their children.

Gain additional perspective on how the dominance of Whiteness manifests in the classroom. Topics will include de-centering Whiteness in course design, discussions, and practices.

Through analysis of a personal experience with racism, when she was recently refused service at a small boutique, Dr. Ashlee will lead participants through her understanding of critical praxis. Additionally, she will describe why and how she employs anti-racist critical praxis in the classroom. Finally, she will share pedagogical examples for facilitating critical praxis and create space for other educators to share their strategies for facilitating critical praxis in and outside the classroom.