Justice as Praxis: Cultivating Community, Centering Creativity, and Building Viable Pathways for Equitable Educational Systems

Session Type: Invited Speaker Session

Abstract

In both theory and practice, social in-justices like structural racism and anti-Blackness, limit human learning and thriving. To address educational injustices, Ladson-Billings (2015) strongly advocated for a “shift from justice as theory toward justice as praxis.” When justice is a praxis, we must fundamentally transform how educational systems are created and sustained. This session unpacks justice as praxis imperatives for creating equitable and more just educational systems in the 21st century. Specifically, this session examines three primary calls to action: (1) theorizing justice imperatives, (2) promoting pedagogical justice, and (3) doing methodological justice. Ultimately, this session offers viable entry points for building robust justice as praxis educational systems of teaching and learning as well as pathways for educational research.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Critical Educators for Social Justice

Chair

• Sakeena Everett, University of Connecticut

Papers

• Theorizing Justice Imperatives Through Digital Collaging and Collaborative Creative Visioning Work - Grace D. Player, University of Connecticut; Justin A. Coles, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

• Sages, Artists, and Ancestral Storytelling: Honoring Black Women and Girls Through Thick Love - Theda Gibbs-Grey, Ohio University; Dywanna Smith, Claflin University; Mellissa Gyimah-Concepcion, Elgin Community College

• Inquiry and Collaborative Autoethnographic Reflection: Enacting Justice as Praxis - Betina Hsieh, University of Washington; Sakeena Everett, University of Connecticut; Bharivi Trived; Cati V. de los Rios, University of California - Berkeley

• Freedom Dreaming: Leveraging Arts-Based Testimonios to Support Early Career Justice-Oriented Women's Research - Tamara Moten, University of Georgia; Tairan Qiu, University of Houston; Merida Lang, University of Georgia; Ji Hyun Hong; Serena D’Agostino Readhead

Discussant

• Leigh Patel, University of Pittsburgh