The Life and Legacy of Dr. Ernest D. Morrell: A Call to Embrace Our Collective Oaths

Session Type: Invited Speaker Session

Abstract

This session honors the enduring legacy of Dr. Ernest D. Morrell, whose scholarship and spirit transformed the fields of English Education and Literacy Studies by centering the brilliance, agency, and power of young people too often pushed to the margins. As the editor/author of more than 20 books and the author of more than 100 publications, the breadth of Morrell’s research has profoundly articulated this year’s theme by illuminating critical histories and insisting on just social futures grounded in critical pedagogy in education. Dr. Morrell not only shaped the intellectual contours of the field but also helped generations of educators imagine classrooms rooted in love, dignity, justice, and a radical commitment to excellence that, in his words, serve as a call “to embrace our collective oaths.” In this call, he reminds us that, because justice is never a solitary endeavor, his individual labor is only as powerful as our collective commitments to possibility, dissent, and liberation in education and education research. Thus, this session convenes a group of representative scholars and practitioners from across the chapters of Dr. Morrell’s life to discuss the legacy of his seminal works, including his final forthcoming volume, Key Works in English Education (In Press). Together we will (re)member, not only the intellectual impact of Dr. Ernest Morrell's contributions, but also the humanity and hope that animate the collective oaths he has called us to.

Sub Unit

• AERA Sessions

Chairs

• Cati V. de los Rios, University of California - Berkeley

• Jamila Lyiscott, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Participants

• Nicole Mirra, University of California - Los Angeles

• Kris D. Gutiérrez, University of California - Berkeley

• Carol D. Lee, Northwestern University

• Pedro A. Noguera, University of Southern California

• Laurence Tan, University of California - Los Angeles

• Van T. Lac, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Antero Garcia, Stanford University

• Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Teachers College, Columbia University