Presentations

Selected Past Presentations

Workshops

Drawing from Hip Hop and Youth Popular Culture in ELA Instruction and Assessment. Rutgers Center for Literacy Development. New Brunswick, NJ.

Exploring History, Geography, and Culture through Hip Hop Literature. Antiracist Teaching Workshop Series, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY.

Hip Hop and Healing, Black History Month Workshop Series, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, NY.
“Antiracism in Hip Hop.” Invited Workshop Presenter for Center for Social Justice Education and LGBT Communities Project RU Allyship. Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.

“Supporting Students as Agents of Change.” Invited Workshop Presenter for NYC Special Education Collaborative Virtual Professional Development Series. New York, NY.

Developing Empathy and Equity Through Critical Listening in Schools. NYC Special Education Collaborative School Leaders and Coaches Professional Development Series, New York, NY.

"Holler If Ya Hear Me": Fostering Empathy and Equity Through Critical Listening and Coaching. Invited Workshop Presenter at NYC Special Education Collaborative School Leaders and Coaches Professional Development Series, New York, NY.

“Pretty Little Fears”: Social and Emotional Learning in Hip Hop Literature and Culture. Hip Hop in the Heartland Annual Educator Summer Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI.

Exploring History, Geography, and Culture through Hip Hop Lit Circles. Reimagining Education: Teaching and Learning in Racially Diverse Schools Summer Institute, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY.

Fostering Empathy and Equity Through Critical Listening and Counter Storytelling." NYC Special Education Collaborative Conference, Brooklyn, NY.

Developing Critical Hip Hop Pedagogies in Secondary Education, Equity Leadership Symposium, Rutgers Institute for Improving Student Achievement, New Brunswick, NJ.

You Don’t Have to Claim Her”: Developing Feminist Perspectives on Power and Sexuality through Critical Hip Hop Literacy, Women's History Month Workshop Series, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, NY.

Embodied Storytelling: What are the stories that music tells?, Northern Marianas College, Saipan, CNM.

Developing Social Justice Literacies in the ELA Classroom, 51st Annual Reading and Writing Conference, Rutgers Center for Literacy Development, New Brunswick, NJ.

"Unbroken: Transforming Pedagogy Through Critical Hip Hop Literacies," NYC Special Education Collaborative, New York, NY.

"#decoded: Developing Critical Hip Hop Literacies as Transformative Pedagogy," the State of Delaware’s Division of Prevention and Behavioral Health Services Building Bridges Conference, Dover, DE.

“What Are the Stories That Hip Hop Tells?" GRAMMY Museum's Jane Ortner Education Award Professional Development Workshop for Teachers, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ.

“'Who freed me? Lincoln or Cadillac?': Developing Critical Hip Hop Literacies in the Secondary Classroom,” Fieldwork Workshop Series, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY.

“Holler If Ya Hear Me: Fostering Empathy and Support Through Critical Listening,” 4th Annual Teaching With a Purpose Conference, Portland, OR.

“It Was Written: Developing Critical Media Awareness and Media Literacy Through Popular Texts,” Hip Hop in the Heartland Educator Symposium, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI.

“Columbusing in the 21st Century: Using Media Texts to Foster Dialogue about Cultural Awareness and Cultural Appropriation," Urban Word NYC Preemptive Education Conference, New York University, New York, NY.

“'I Am Not Jasmine, I Am Aladdin': Unpacking Power and Sexuality in Popular Texts" and "Dear Hip Hop: Open Letter Poetry as Social Action," Hip Hop in the Heartland 10th Annual Educator and Community Leader Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI.

"#Selfie: Teaching Social Responsibility in the Media Age," Urban Word NYC Preemptive Education Conference, New York University, New York, NY.

“Blurred Lines: Unpacking Gender Representation in Popular Media,” Teaching With a Purpose Conference, Portland State University, Portland, OR.

“Critical Literacy, Common Core, and the Cost of Wealth in Hip-hop Culture,” Urban Word NYC Preemptive Education Conference, New York University, New York, NY.

Invited Talks

Hip Hop as a Desire Path Towards Radical Imagination and Critical Social Action. Black Artistic Freedom Conference. February 2025, University of Massachusetts- Amherst.

Imagining a World Where Peace is Possible. 2024 Ikeda Forum, Cambridge, MA, November, 2024.
Transforming Schools and Communities through Critical Hip Hop Literacies: An Exploration of Youth Agency and Critical Consciousness in Hip Hop Education. Harvard University Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, Cambridge, MA, March, 2024.

Fostering educational transformation through youth voice and activism, Education, Identity, & Excellence speaker series, Georgetown University, February 2023.

Pass the Mic: Amplifying Youth Voice and Agency. 2022 Youth-Nex Conference, Charlottesville, VA, October, 2022.

“Cultivating Community, Equity, and Student Support in P-12 Schools.” Invited Presenter for Pennsylvania State Education Association Professional Development Series, April, 2021.

“Developing Asset-Based Approaches to Address Racial Trauma and Injustice in K-12 Schools.” Moderator for Keynote Presentation with Gloria Ladson-Billings in Trauma-Informed Teaching Series. St. John’s University, Queens, New York, March, 2021.

“Hip-Hop and Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline." Invited Panelist for Hamden Department of Arts and Culture Hip Hop Education Webinar, March 2021.

“Hip Hop Based Education Approaches to Critical Race Theory.” Guest Lecturer in Dr. Daren Graves’s “ Critical Race Theory in Education” Course. Harvard University Graduate School of Education (HGSE), Cambridge, MA, November 2020.

“Mind Over Media.” Invited Co-Presenter for NAMLE Media Literacy Week Virtual Author Talk with Renee Hobbs. National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE), October 2020.

Hip Hop Literacy as Transformative Pedagogy in the Secondary Classroom. Invited Speaker in Aysha Upchurch’s “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: Understanding and Embracing Hip Hop in Education” Course. Harvard University Graduate School of Education (HGSE), Cambridge, MA, October 2019.

Developing Youth Leadership through Hip Hop Culture and Community, Rutgers Graduate School of Education Alumni Association Distinguished Faculty Lecture Series, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, March 2019.

“Developing Transformative Pedagogy Through Critical Hip Hop Literacies,” Shanxi Normal University Education Conference, Shanxi Province, China, June 2018.

"Decolonizing Teacher Education: Learning from YPAR & Critical Literacies," Center for Innovation in Teacher Education and Development (CITED), Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, April 2018.

"Embodied Hip Hop Storytelling," Mount Vernon Elementary School Music Assembly, Irvington, NJ, June 2018.

“Working with Critical Hip Hop Pedagogies," Hip Hop Pedagogy Conference, LaGuardia Community College, Queens, NY, October 2017.

“Bridging the Gap: Hip Hop Literacy as Transformative Pedagogy in the Secondary Classroom," Teaching With Purpose Hip Hop Education Summit, Portland, OR, June 2017.

“Transformative Learning and Assessment Through Critical Hip Hop Literacy,” GRAMMY Museum Teacher Webinar Series, Los Angeles, CA, October 2016.

“We Gon’ Be Alright.” Keynote Speaker at Urban Word NYC 19th Annual Preemptive Education Conference, New York University, New York, NY, September 2016.

“Exploring Critical Hip Hop Literacies in English Education,” Institute for Urban and Minority Education (IUME) Colloquium Series, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, April 2014.

Conference Presentations

Dreaming beyond the Classroom: Exploring Youth Imagination and Civic Praxis in Intergenerational Pedagogical Design. National Council for Teachers of English Annual Convention, Boston, MA, November 2024.

Dreaming together: Exploring youth-adult partnerships in speculative educational design, American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, April 2023.

"Developing Critical Sociohistorical Literacies in English Education.” AERA Annual Conference, San Diego, CA, April 2022.

"Examining Youth Epistemologies in the Design of a Youth-Led, Anti-Racist Teaching and Learning Community.” AERA Annual Conference, San Diego, CA, April 2022.

"’Dear Academy’: A Poetry Open Mic Town Hall.” Presidential Session at virtual AERA Annual Conference, April 2021.

" Remixing Response-ability: An Interactive Session Exploring Accountability and Praxis in Hip-Hop-Based Education and Research.” Symposium at virtual AERA Annual Conference, April, 2021.

"Examining Youth Activism and Sociopolitical Development Through Critical Theory in the English Classroom.” Paper accepted in roundtable session at National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention, November, 2020.

"Masters of Our Thinking: Co-Designing Teaching and Learning Spaces With Youth Activists.” Paper accepted for symposium at AERA Annual Conference, April, 2020.

"’The Things That Free Us’: Exploring the Construction of Homeplace for Black Girls in Schools.” Paper accepted for presentation at AERA Annual Conference, April, 2020.

“‘Monsters in Society’: Developing Critical Sociohistorical Literacy in the High School English Classroom.” Paper accepted for presentation at AERA Annual Conference, April, 2020.

“Listen to Me Talk: Examining Youth Epistemologies of Learning and Teaching in the Digital Sphere.” Paper accepted for symposium at AERA Annual Conference, April, 2020.

Schooling for Critical Consciousness. Harvard Graduate School of Education Alumni of Color Conference, Cambridge, MA, February 2020.

Developing Critical Sociohistorical Consciousness in the English Classroom, Literacy Research Association Annual Conference, Tampa, FL, December 2019.

Liminal Spaces and Haunting Memories: Re/membering as a Process of Decolonizing Teacher Education, National Council of Teachers of English, NCTE Annual Convention, Baltimore, MD, November 2019.

How Black Girls Develop Critical and Digital Literacy Practices as Resistance to Marginalization in School, AERA Annual Conference, Toronto, Canada, April 2019.

Examining High School Students’ Sociopolitical Development Through Critical Classroom Practices, AERA Annual Conference, Toronto, Canada, April 2019.

Hearts and Minds: The Possibilities and Pitfalls of Researching Youth Civic Identity Development Across Formal, Informal, and Multimodal Learning Spaces, Ethnography in Education Research Forum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, February 2019.

"If That Makes Me Radical, So Be It": Examining the Critical and Digital Practices of Black Girls in Predominantly White Schools, National Council of Teachers of English, NCTE Annual Convention, Houston, TX, November 2018.

"Twitter Changed My Life": A Case Study on How Black Girls in High School Develop Critical and Media Literacy Practices for Survival and Resistance, Literacy Research Association, LRA Annual Conference, Indian Wells, CA November 2018.

"Seeking Change Through Alternative Forms of Resistance," Literacy Research Association, LRA Annual Conference, Tampa, FL, November 2017.

"'Wait, Are You Studying Wokeness?' Developing Critical Consciousness and Literacies of Empowerment in the Secondary Classroom," National Council of Teachers of English, NCTE Annual Convention, St. Louis, MO, November 2017.

“Gone ’Til November: Analyzing the Criminal Justice System Through Critical Hip Hop Literacy," Hiphop Literacies Conference, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, New York, NY, March 2017.

"Cultivating Literacies of Empowerment in Urban Charter High Schools." National Council of Teachers of English Assembly for Research (NCTEAR) Midwinter Conference, San Francisco, CA, February 2017.

"You Ain’t Gotta Lie to Kick it: Exploring Teacher Identity in Hip-hop Education,” American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., April 2016.

"Pathways to Critical Pedagogy: Engaging Literacy through Hip-Hop & Social Justice Education," National Council of Teachers of English, NCTE Annual Convention, Minneapolis, MN, November 2015.

"Hip-Hop Pedagogy and Racial Battle Fatigue: The Untold Stories of Critical Educators," American Educational Research Association, AERA Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, April 2015.

"Room of/for Failures: Critical Pedagogy's Unglamorous Stories," National Council of Teachers of English, NCTE Annual Convention, Washington, DC. Saturday, November 2014.

“Broken Glass Everywhere: Deconstructing Popular Media Through Critical Literacy,” National Council of Teachers of English, NCTE Annual Convention, Boston, MA, November 2013.