Don C. Locke Symposium

2021 Keynote Address by Preeminent Scholar, The Dreamkeepers Author and National Academy of Education President Gloria Ladson-Billings

The 3rd Annual Don C. Locke Multiculturalism and Social Justice Symposium featuring National Academy of Education President Gloria Ladson-Billings will be held virtually on Wednesday, March 24, 2021, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Those who registered received a link to the Zoom Webinar. If you did not receive an email or if you have not registered, you can watch the symposium on the college’s YouTube channel.

Event Details

Title of Talk: This is Us! Educating Post Covid/Post Civic Unrest America — Tragedy or Opportunity?
Date: Wednesday, March 24, 2021
Time: 4:30-6 p.m.
Where: Via Zoom

Register for this event has closed. But you can watch the livestream on the College of Education’s YouTube channel.
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Synopsis of Talk: The U.S. is experiencing four pandemics—COVID, racism/White supremacy, impending economic collapse, and environmental catastrophe—over which we seem to be in denial. These pandemics serve as a real and present threat to our democracy because they encourage national anxiety and uncertainty. However, these perceived threats also offer us an opportunity. This opportunity is to re-set our approach to education where we can consider an education that truly prepares students for active engagement in a dynamic, diverse democracy.

About Gloria Ladson-Billings

Gloria Ladson-Billings is the president of the National Academy of Education and the former Kellner Family Distinguished Professor of Urban Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she retired in 2018. Her research examines the pedagogical practices of teachers who are successful with African American students. She is the author of the groundbreaking 1994 book The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children and the critically acclaimed book Crossing Over to Canaan: The Journey of New Teachers in Diverse Classrooms.

Watch the livestream

Having trouble logging into the Zoom webinar or didn't receive the link? You can watch the symposium on our YouTube channel live.

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Don C. Locke and his wife Marjorie Locke

About the Don C. Locke Symposium

The NC State College of Education started the Don C. Locke Multiculturalism and Social Justice Symposium in 2018 to honor Don C. Locke, a longtime professor of counselor education at NC State. Locke also worked as director of diversity and multiculturalism at the University of North Carolina at Asheville until retiring in 2007. He passed away after a brief illness in 2016. He dedicated his professional life to the advancement of counseling and equity.

Previous Speakers

2019: James L. Moore III on Helping African American Male Students to Achieve

African American male K-12 students are underrepresented in advanced academic courses and in gifted and talented programs, including in predominantly black school districts and even when there are black teachers of those courses, said James L. Moore III, the vice provost for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer at The Ohio State University. A reason why: teachers’ perceptions and expectations.

2018: Courtland Lee on How to Stay Sane During Insane Times

Courtland Lee, a professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Washington, D.C., talked about “Promoting Sanity in Insane Time” at the inaugural Don C. Locke Multiculturalism and Social Justice Symposium. "We are all basically dealing with collective and environmentally social trauma," Lee said. "So as a mental health professionals, it makes me think about what we can do. It’s our job to help people deal with trauma."

EdTalks: A Celebration of K-12 Education graphic wolf

Support the Don C. Locke Multiculturalism and Social Justice Symposium

The Don C. Locke Multiculturalism and Social Justice Symposium is made possible because of gifts to the College of Education's Excellence Fund. Donations to this fund go toward advancing the college's equity initiatives, including this symposium. One of the college's signature annual events, the Don C. Locke Multiculturalism and Social Justice Symposium brings foremost experts on educational equity and diversity to NC State to engage with the campus community. Help us continue the symposium -- and Don C. Locke's legacy -- with a gift to the College of Education's Excellence Fund.

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