Join us for a fireside chat with authors of Doing the Work of Equity Leadership For Justice And Systems Change Dr. Decoteau J. Irby and Dr. Ann M. Ishimaru. Through this RELOC-sponsored event, the book and conversation will focus on and present the audience with real-world insights, research-based strategies, and practical tools for transforming P-12 education systems into more equitable and just learning spaces.

Dr. Decoteau J. Irby

Decoteau J. Irby is a father, author, artist, and educator who works each and every day to advance education equity and justice for Black and Brown children and youth in community spaces, schools and districts, and higher education. His core philosophy is that when you improve learning conditions and opportunities through providing abundant resources and affirming support, children and young people’s aspirations, efforts, and high level academic performance will follow.

A professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, he teaches in the College of Education’s top-ranked Urban Education Leadership program, co-directs the UIC Center for Urban Education Leadership, and leads the Brothers Teaching Initiative. He organizes Bronzeville’s Juneteenth Youth Baseball and Softball Tournament, tends community gardens, and advocates for vibrant public spaces on Chicago’s South Side. A self-taught guitarist, songwriter, and occasional performer, he has released three music projects under the name Decoteau Black, exploring Black love, struggle, and liberation.

Dr. Ann M. Ishimaru 

Dr. Ann M. Ishimaru is an award-winning scholar, writer, educator and the Killinger Endowed Chair and Professor of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Policy at the University of Washington College of Education. Through her work, she cultivates the leadership and solidarities of educators, organizational leaders and racially minoritized youth, families and communities to realize more transformative futures. In addition to many peer-reviewed articles in top-tier educational research journals, she is also the author of Just Schools: Building Equitable Collaborations with Families and Communities (Teachers College Press, 2020). 

Fireside Chat Moderated by Dr. Tanisha Brandon-Felder

is the director of PreK and Elementary Success in the Highline School District. She was the Director of Equitable Leadership, Pedagogy, and Family Engagement in the Shoreline School District for 8 years, as well as a classroom teacher in the Seattle Public Schools for 16 years in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country. Dr. Brandon-Felder specializes in race and equity, culturally responsive practices and, primarily, the opportunity gap occurring with Black and Brown students. A graduate of both Grambling State and the University of Washington, she focuses on equitable leadership with adults. Dr. Brandon-Felder piloted the Creative Schools Initiative through the Arts Corps nonprofit that focuses on arts integration in academic content areas. She is a firm believer that the arts create pathways for student engagement and academic success. Dr. Brandon-Felder hosts a Youtube Channel, Talking Books With Tanisha, to promote literacy in both youth and adults. Being a Racial Equity and Anti Racism focused educator is the key to identifying the ways in which she strives to build strong learning partnerships and ensure equitable outcomes with and for students of color. Dr. Brandon-Felder is committed to collectively transforming institutional practices one system at a time.