#BLM Social Justice and Advocacy Series: Addressing White Fragility Book Club

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

Abstract

Kelly León is a part-time instructor and co-leader of the single-subject Generation Global credential cohort in the School of Teacher Education at San Diego State University (SDSU). She has taught Social and Humanistic Aspects of Teaching, Teaching and Learning in Social Science I, Advanced Teaching and Learning in Social Science II, and the Secondary School Student Teaching Seminar to pre-service teacher candidates. Additionally, she teaches ninth grade human geography in the Sweetwater Union High School District, California’s largest secondary school district, located just south of San Diego. In her previous position as a history/social science curriculum and professional development specialist for the district, she led the professional development for ninth-twelfth grade social science teachers, designed curriculum and assessments, developed teacher leaders, and redesigned the district’s ninth grade geography course. As a teacher leader for the California Geographic Alliance and California Global Education Project (CGEP), Kelly has delivered professional development and presented at numerous state and national conferences. As an advisory board member for the CGEP @ San Diego site, Kelly participates in annual strategic planning for the organization. She holds a Preliminary Administrative Services credential (2011), a Clear Specialist Instruction credential in Bilingual Cross-Cultural Education (Spanish) (2010), and a bilingual authorization to teach history/social science (2009). She earned a Masters in Education in Policy Studies in Language and Cross Cultural Education at San Diego State (2009), where she also completed her undergraduate degree (2004). She has helped to organize multiple San Diego County history/social science educator conferences and co-organizes an annual student conference on issues of personal, local, and global significance in the south bay of San Diego. As a second-year doctoral student in the PhD in Education for Social Justice program in the School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES) at the University of San Diego, she has identified research interests in curriculum theory, geography education, global education, social justice, teacher leadership, and teacher education. Her research thus far has examined the role geography can/should play in the education of California’s diverse learners. Having grown up in a mostly-white community and then moving to San Diego, Kelly not only acknowledges the systemic racism and classism on which this nation was constructed, but the ongoing manifestations of these systems in our schools and society. She stands committed to disrupting via her research and by taking action within education systems and communities. Kelly worked with the #BLM Social Justice and Advocacy team in writing the solidarity statement and organizing the summer series program. She facilitated a discussion group at the Juneteenth event, organized and the White Fragility book club event, and attended the #BLM Artistic Expression Salon. She is currently working with the team to develop the fall and spring series.

Author

• Kelly C. León, University of San Diego