Let me tell you a bit about myself. I was born and raised in Rhode Island. I am a first generation college student. I received my Ph.D from UCLA in Urban Schooling (my doctoral advisor was Dr. Tyrone Howard) and my MAT from the University of Pittsburgh in Elementary Education. There I had the good fortune to teach at the Falk Lab School while at Pitt. I am a former elementary teacher and have been licensed to teach in RI, MA and CA.

I’m currently a (full) Professor of Diversity and Equity in Education at Roger Williams University. My research interests include race and poverty issues in schooling and the development of culturally relevant teaching practices. I spent my 2018 sabbatical working with refugee youth in 9-12 classrooms. I’ve been published in many journals, including Urban Education, Race, Ethnicity and Education and Teacher Education Quarterly. My book, co-authored with Dr. Joi Spencer, Anti-Blackness at School: Creating Affirming Educational Spaces for African American Students, was published in 2022 by Teachers College Press.

On a more personal side:

At any given time I am probably reading something about my field (currently South to America by Imani Perry), something about science (The Light Eaters by Zoe Schlanger) and a cookbook, always a cookbook (Roads to Rome).

I love feeding people, teaching, writing, and grapefruit tea with boba.