Jamila Lyiscott
Associate Professor of Social Justice Education | University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA, UNITED STATES
Jamila Lyiscott's research focuses on racial equity, youth activism, and the power of hip-hop and spoken word in education.
Expertise (4)
Social Justice Educaiton
Community-Engaged Research
African-American Literature
Youth-Led Social Research
Biography
Jamila Lyiscott is most well known for her 2014 TED Talk title, "3 Ways to Speak English," which has been viewed more than five million times.
She has delivered keynotes and workshops at hundreds of institutions throughout the nation where she works closely with youth, educators and communities towards racial healing, equity, and justice
A community-engaged scholar, nationally renowned speaker, and the author of "Black Appetite. White Food: Issues of Race, Voice, and Justice Within and Beyond the Classroom," Lyiscott is the founding co-director of the Center of Racial Justice and Youth Engaged Research. Her scholarship and activism work together to explore, assert, and defend the value of Black life throughout and beyond the field of education.
Her current research focuses on the power of youth-led social research and activism to foster liberation and racial healing across schools and communities.
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Education (2)
Columbia University Teachers College: Ph.D.
Hunter College: M.A., Black Literature
Links (2)
Select Media Coverage (1)
6 Black Lives Matter Activists Talk Openly About What It’s Like Leading the Fight for Racial Equality
Cosmopolitan online
2020-08-26
“I realized I needed to hit the streets when there was a continued delay in arresting the cops/people who murdered Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. When the ethical duty of doing what is right is not enough to move the hearts of those in power, social unrest becomes ‘the language of the unheard.’” —Jamila Lyiscott, Ph.D.
Select Publications (2)
Case Studies of Effective Learning Climates for Civic Reasoning and Discussion
The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social ScienceJamila Lyiscott, Cati V. De Los Rios, Christopher H. Clark
2023-11-01
While the national media continues to highlight the tensions of cultural politics in education, there is a need for young people and educators to be equipped for the daunting local, national, and global challenges that mark their everyday lives. Many educators and young people alike are interested in engaging youth in civic reasoning and discourse that prepares them to meet those many challenges.
Black Appetite. White Food.: Issues of Race, Voice, and Justice Within and Beyond the Classroom
Book – RoutledgeJamila Lyiscott
2019-05-03
Black Appetite. White Food. invites educators to explore the nuanced manifestations of white privilege as it exists within and beyond the classroom. Renowned speaker and author Jamila Lyiscott provides ideas and tools that teachers, school leaders, and professors can use for awareness, inspiration, and action around racial injustice and inequity.
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