Syracuse Sun

The School of Education is set to host the 2025 Ganders Lecture, featuring Keisha Green, a community-engaged scholar. The event will focus on "Working Towards Racial Justice and Educational Equity Through Youth Engaged, Justice-Oriented Literacy and Learning." Scheduled for March 6, the lecture will take place from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Bird Library’s Peter Graham Scholarly Commons.

Keisha Green plans to revisit bell hooks' text "Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom" during her lecture. This exploration aims to reconnect and recommit educators to a justice-oriented and community-based teaching approach in today's political climate. Green intends to discuss pathways for literacy-rich education within this framework.

Green holds a position as an associate professor of teacher education and curriculum studies at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Her research focuses on English education, youth literacy practices, critical literacy, and pedagogy. She has been published in several journals including “International Journal for Qualitative Studies,” “Equity and Excellence in Education,” “Race, Ethnicity, and Education,” and “Educational Forum.” Additionally, she has contributed chapters to volumes such as “Humanizing Research: Decolonizing Qualitative Inquiry with Youth and Communities” and “Youth Voices, Public Spaces and Civic Engagement.”

The Harry S. and Elva K. Ganders Memorial Lecture Series honors Harry S. Ganders, the fourth dean of the School of Education who played a pivotal role in transforming the Teachers College into the "All University" School of Education. The series was established by Ganders’ daughters with support from alumni contributions.

This event is part of the Syracuse Symposium 2024-25 series and is co-sponsored by multiple departments including the Department of Writing Studies, Rhetoric, and Composition; the Engaged Humanities Network; and the Syracuse University Humanities Center.