An Education Worth Dying For: Lessons on Fighting White Supremacy in Education
As the ravages of COVID-19 continue to impact classrooms in unprecedented ways, the question of being educated at the risk of physical health confronts us. However, Black communities have been facing this very dilemma for centuries at the hands of white supremacy. In this session, Dr. Brian Lozenski will discuss how a deeper understanding of African Americans’ educational experiences and philosophies can provide answers in our current landscape.
Education for Liberation MN was formed in 2019 following the Free Minds, Free People conference, hosted in Minnesota. The organization is a network of teachers, youthworkers, teaching aids, educators’ union organizers, academics, policy advocates, parents, and youth-led organizations. The goal of Ed Lib MN is to be a political force in the state of MN to contend with the status quo of colonial education that prioritizes Eurocentric curricula, predominantly white educators and administrators, and a persistent attack on the power of communities to be self-determined.
Brian Lozenski

is an Associate Professor of Urban and Multicultural Education in the Educational Studies Department at Macalester College. His research explores the intersections of critical participatory action research, black intellectual traditions in education, and cultural sustainability. As a teacher educator and researcher he has worked with youth, educators, parents, schools, and districts to develop perspectives and strategies that aspire toward social justice while illuminating the historical realities that have created current educational disparities. He is a founding member of Education for Liberation Minnesota.