Teach-In on Anti-Racism

The Anti-Racism Conference will open with a Teach-In on Anti-Racism, facilitated by Kent State faculty and staff. A teach-in is a participatory forum to raise awareness and empower action on or about a topic or issue. The purpose of the teach-in session is to help participants understand and apply tenets of anti-racism. In their respective roles, faculty, staff and student participants will interactively strategize how to effectively translate their conceptual understanding to their lived experiences through examples and case studies. Presenters will offer implications for practice, policy and future research to assist in our individual and collective application of anti-racism at Kent State and beyond. 

Keep reading to learn more about our Teach-In facilitators:

---

Andrew Barnes (he/him/his) is an Associate Professor in the School of Multidisciplinary Social Sciences & Humanities. He studies the interaction of wealth and power in a wide range of settings, and over the past decade he has tried to learn more about practical issues of equity, particularly at Kent State. He is grateful for the opportunity to serve as a DEI Faculty Affiliate.

---

Dr. Charmaine Crawford (she/her/hers) is an Associate Professor in Africana Studies at Kent State University. She is also the departmental Director of Institute for African American Affairs (IAAA). As an anti-racist feminist scholar and activist, she has fought for the rights of women, People of African Descent and LGBTQ persons in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. Some of her publications include, Teaching Black Canada(s) Across Borders: Insights from the Caribbean and United States, Unbearable Knowledge: Sexual Citizenship, Homophobia and the Taxonomy of Ignorance in the Caribbean, and Decolonizing Reproductive Labour: Caribbean Women, Migration and Domestic Work in the Global Economy.

---

Jenny Marcinkiewicz, Ph.D., (she/her/hers) is an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences and serves as the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning.  In her role, she provides support for faculty to learn about, implement, and engage in scholarship on teaching and learning practices that are student-centered, evidence-based, innovative, and inclusive. 

---

Daniel Diaz Nilsson (he/him/el) currently serves as the Director for the Office of Diversity Outreach & Development at Kent State University in the College of Education, Health & Human Services (EHHS). In his current role, he leads the college with recruiting and retention efforts for students from historically underrepresented and diverse backgrounds. A big part of his job is to make sure students and their families have access to post-secondary opportunities and help them realize the goals they have for themselves. He also provides training on social justice, cultural competency, and creating inclusive practices. Daniel is currently in the dissertation phase of the Interprofessional Leadership Ed.D program at KSU in the Cultural Foundations concentration. He holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University at Buffalo in Student Affairs Administration and Early Childhood Education, respectively.

---

Dr. Christa J. Porter (she/her) is Associate Dean for the Graduate College & Associate Professor of Higher Education Administration and Student Affairs at Kent State University. As a critical qualitative researcher her areas of expertise include: (1) policies and practices that influence the trajectory of Black women in higher education; (2) college student development (at the intersections of identities); and (3) research and praxis in higher education and student affairs (how and why we do what we do). She has been nationally recognized for her scholarship, teaching, and service; her work appears in various peer reviewed journals and edited texts. Dr. Porter earned her doctoral degree in College Student Affairs Administration from the University of Georgia, her master’s degree in Higher Education from the University of Maryland, College Park, and her bachelor’s degree in Social Relations and Policy from James Madison College at Michigan State University.