2024 AERA Presidential AddressWhy Do Darker People Suffer the Most? Examining the Past to Imagine Racial Justice in Education

Examining the persistence of racial disparities in education, this presidential address provides a conceptual framework for advancing racial justice in education. Grounded in the tradition of “freedom dreams” and hope and belief in unseen possibilities, the talk addresses four principles: examining the foundations of racism and the complicity of higher education, identifying how racism shapes contemporary educational landscapes, evaluating organizational routines that perpetuate injustice in K–12 and higher education, and issuing a call to dismantle oppression and center racial justice in research and practice. Through interrogating histories, analyzing present evidence, and radically imagining transformative change, this work seeks a more just, humane, and equitable future for all students.