Talking about the experience of black men in the education system
By Hailey Murphy
To experience a free livestream lecture from San Diego University addressing issues facing black men in higher education, visit Fraser 102 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. every Monday through fall quarter.
Black Minds Matter is a livestream lecture run by professor J. Luke Wood, Ph.D. The course shines light on the experience of black men in higher education. It also strives to provide support based in extensive research to help students of color succeed.
Additionally, Black Minds Matter draws parallels between students of color engaging their minds in the classroom, and people of color engaging in advocacy in the Black Lives Matter movement.
“The Black Lives Matter movement has shed light on two invariable facts,” said Wood, in an introductory video to the course. “First, that black men and boys are criminalized in society. And second, their lives are undervalued by those who have sworn to protect them. In educational settings, these same two unwavering facts hold true.”
Wood believes that, in the same way black bodies are in danger in the streets, black minds are in danger in the classroom. Their ideas are less valued by the institution that’s supposedly there to serve them.
The course will address this issue by discussing overrepresentation in special education, exclusionary discipline, the school to prison pipeline, unconscious bias, stereotypes, microaggressions and more.
The livestream lecture will feature commentary from Wood, as well as interviews, speeches and guest lecturers. Some guests on the livestream include Patrisse Cullers, Black Lives Matter co-founder, and Tyrone Howard, professor of Urban Education and associate dean for Equity and Inclusion at the University of California.
Wood has been a voice for underrepresented students for many years. He received his Ph.D in Education Leadership and Policy Studies with a concentration in Higher Education in 2010. He’s the co-director of the Community College Equity Assessment Lab, which performs research on community college campuses to advance opportunities for students of color. He also serves as the Director of the Joint Ph.D. program in Education and as Director of the Ed.D. Program in Community College Leadership.
In 2016, Wood spoke at The White House to advocate for more racially inclusive STEM programs. Lastly, he’s written over a dozen scholarly books on black men in education.
With his extensive research on the topic, the course is bound to be educational and interesting.
I think this is a super important subject,” said Yaritza Esqueda, coordinator of the Social Issues Resource Center. “The amount of [black] men in prison is incredibly disproportionate to the amount of white men who are in prison… A lot of the factors are contributing to the school to prison pipeline as well as countless other societal problems.”
The Social Issues Resource Center will be hosting the livestream, and they hope to specifically see future educators in the audience.
“This is a really great opportunity for future teachers specifically,” said Esqueda. “But [also to] anyone else who is interested and willing to dedicate their time to these livestreams… I encourage educators to be present and dedicate their time to this event, and see it as a lifetime dedication to education.”
The first hour of the seven remaining lectures is the public portion of the class. Groups and individuals across the nation will tune in. After that, the livestream will be turned off and the class will continue for the students taking the course at San Diego University.
To listen to Black Minds Matter, go to Fraser 102, 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m Mondays throughout fall quarter.
If you can’t make it to the livestream, you can go to jlukewood.com/bmm to register as an individual participant, or you can wait a few days and view the streams on Wood’s youtube page.