E35: Creating a “Beloved Community” in the School House: Centering Black Women Leaders and Girls for Just and Inclusive Education with CCNY’s Prof. Terri N. Watson Artwork

Rights Talk

With authoritarianism, nationalism, and xenophobia on the rise, gaping global wealth disparities, and the accelerating climate emergency, human rights appear increasingly fragile. Rights Talk is devoted to engaging contemporary challenges around the world across the human rights spectrum of civil and political rights; economic, social, and cultural rights; and solidarity rights, including to a safe and healthy environment. The podcast invites critical perspectives and questions the future of rights in the twenty-first century. __________________________________________________ Music Carefree by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3476-carefreeLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Rights Talk

E35: Creating a “Beloved Community” in the School House: Centering Black Women Leaders and Girls for Just and Inclusive Education with CCNY’s Prof. Terri N. Watson

January 16, 2023 • CCNY Downtown

This episode focuses on challenges facing K-12 education, particularly at the intersection of racism and sexism in the US education system today. Dr. Watson—Associate Professor of Education Leadership, Provost Fellow, and inaugural Director of the Office for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging—discusses Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s idea of the “beloved community” and a framework for education based on care, courage, critical reflection, and community. She engages the disproportionate suspension of Black girls, adultification, and the imposition of oppressive norms and expectations. Prof. Watson finds that the voices of Black girls are essential to realizing just and inclusive education. She also discusses her research on Black women leaders in education, the limitations often imposed on their leadership, and their rich contributions in all spheres of society, and the positive impact of Black teachers on education outcomes. She focuses on improving the educational experiences of all children, especially the most marginalized, emphasizing the importance of seeing the strengths, cultural wealth, talents, and assets of children.