#BLM Social Justice and Advocacy Series: Artistic Expression Salon and Website Design

• In Event: Unmasking Racism and Violence: Co-Creating a University Statement and #BLM Social Justice and Advocacy Series

Abstract

Zulema Reynoso is a staff developer, educational consultant and researcher working with schools and districts throughout the state of California on meeting the needs of English learners and building educator capacity in Designated English Language Development (ELD). As a doctoral student in the PhD in Education for Social Justice program at University of San Diego’s School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES) in the Department of Teaching and Learning, her research explores the role of multimodal technology, the formative assessment process and culturally responsive pedagogy for training teachers for delivering Designated ELD. Prior to becoming an educator, Zulema worked in art museums and interned at the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) in Long Beach, California. Having earned a Bachelor of Arts in art history and museum studies from California State University, Long Beach (2001), she served as assistant to the Registrar/Permanent Collections Curator at the University Art Museum, Long Beach (UAM) and spearheaded the abstract expressionist exhibition Continuous Surface: Selections from the Hampton Collection at the UAM. Zulema went on to earn her Single Subject teaching credential in Social Science (2002) at California State University, Long Beach and a Master of Arts in Educational Administration (2010) from California State University, Northridge. She taught in the greater Los Angeles area and in New York City public schools serving the South Bronx, Brooklyn and Upper East Side. As a founding teacher and administrator at a charter high school, Zulema conducted research on the impact of critical visual literacy and explicit academic vocabulary instruction for boosting literacy skills to access grade-level content and increase student achievement in Global History and Geography, as measured by the New York State Regents Exam. She served as a staff developer for the New York City Department of Education working with teachers across the five boroughs on curriculum design and alignment, the use of interactive history notebooks in Social Studies, and critical visual literacy employing fine arts as well as popular arts and comics to access literary and informational texts. She has presented at New York City’s Social Studies Conference and National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) on the use of graphic novels to promote literacy among at-risk male adolescents. She is also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and has illustrated and published two children’s books. Zulema’s volunteer work includes working with Long-Term English learners at schools throughout the South Bay region of San Diego to deliver targeted English language development instruction for advancing achievement of this student group. Zulema volunteers with arts in corrections programs to support restorative practices through artistic expression among incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals in Southern California. Zulema worked with the #BLM Social Justice and Advocacy team in writing the solidarity statement and organizing the summer series program (facilitated a discussion group at the Juneteenth event, organized the White Fragility book club event, curated the #BLM Artistic Expression Salon, and co-developed website). She is currently working to develop the fall and spring series.

Author

• Zulema Reynoso, University of San Diego