Nic Stone, New York Times Bestselling Author, is an outspoken racial and social justice advocate. Stone burst onto the scene with her #1 New York Times bestselling debut novel, Dear Martin, which chronicles the story of a 17-year-old Black high school senior, Justyce McAllister, after a bloody run-in with the police places him squarely in the crosshairs of media fallout. Seeking meaning in the events that follow and grappling with racism—and what it means for his future—Justyce writes a series of letters to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Of this fictional narrative inspired by everyday encounters for young Black Americans, author Jason Reynolds certifies Dear Martin is “raw and gripping.” Stone will describe how her books confront the reality of police brutality, misconduct, and fatal shootings in the U.S., and using an authentic voice to accurately portray the struggle of teen self-exploration and their daily experiences. She will share with educators the lessons she has learned over the years and how to incorporate current literature into teens’ lives thus creating a safe environment for students to learn and develop throughout their teen years.

Christia Spears Brown, Ph.D. and Associate Dean, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, College of Arts & Sciences, University of Kentucky focuses her research on how children develop gender and ethnic stereotypes and how that process can be disrupted, and how children and adolescents understand and perceive individual-level and structural (i.e., policy-based) forms of gender and ethnic discrimination. Her research is centered around the school context, with a focus on the role of teachers and peers, peer norms, and academic outcomes. Dr. Brown will open the workshop by talking about her most recent book (2021) Unraveling Bias: How Prejudice has Shaped Children for Generations and How We Can Break the Cycle. She will look at racial, ethnic, gender, and sexuality biases and what effect these have on students. Dr. Brown will offer participants ways to overcome these stereotypes and improve academic achievement and positive development in the classroom.

Sarah LaCour, Ph.D., J.D. is a former classroom teacher and litigator. Her current research focuses on issues of educational access and opportunity for historically minoritized student populations. She is the Education Law and Policy Research Manager at the National Center for Youth Law.

Title

Come in from the Cold: Addressing the Chilling Effect of a Politicized Environment on Teacher Speech

Description

This session will explore developments in legislation in Kentucky that place teachers in an increasingly politicized—and sometimes hostile—environment. Dr. LaCour will discuss how apparent conflicts in law and policy place teachers in a difficult position as they work to serve diverse students. She will explore recently passed and pending legislation, avenues for teachers to explore apparent policy conflicts, and where teachers have agency, in and out of the classroom. The goal is for educators to walk away feeling empowered to make decisions in their classrooms and for their careers.

Kwame Agyemang, Ph.D., George and Betty Blanda Endowed Professor in Sport Leadership, is a professor of sport, organizations, and society and Director of the Future of Sport Institute (FoSI) at the University of Kentucky. His research interests include institutional and social change, in which he focuses on better understanding institutionally disruptive people and organizations. He is particularly interested in how social actors (e.g., athletes, sport organizations) manage and implement change. With more than 10 years of experience as a university instructor, Dr. Agyemang is passionate about sport business education and developing future generations of purpose-driven sport industry leaders.

Title

Developing Racially Responsive Sport Industry Leaders

Description

During the summer of 2020, several well-known brands and corporations released public statements to condemn racism and assert their commitment to the Black community. The sport industry was no different. Many sport organizations touted ‘Black Lives Matter’, while pledging money and resources. Take Adidas, for instance, which pledged $120 million toward to the Black community through 2025. Several teams, leagues, and other multinational sportswear companies committed to similar initiatives. Yet, three years removed from the summer of 2020, questions still remain on how to transform the sport industry into a just and equitable space where people from all races have a sense of belonging. To transform sport, we believe Sport Leadership programs (and related majors) play a pivotal role in addressing the long-standing racism and injustices that exist within the sport industry. To that end, this workshop will focus on how classroom instructors can engage students, colleagues, and other sport-related programs in ways that will positively enhance students’ ability to lead and manage justly and equitably.

Rasheed Flowers, Ph.D. received his Ph.D. in Higher Education, with a concentration in Sport Leadership from the University of Kentucky in 2002. He is involved in the Lexington community through volunteering with various organizations and coaching wrestling and track at local high schools. 

Title

Developing Racially Responsive Sport Industry Leaders

Description

During the summer of 2020, several well-known brands and corporations released public statements to condemn racism and assert their commitment to the Black community. The sport industry was no different. Many sport organizations touted ‘Black Lives Matter’, while pledging money and resources. Take Adidas, for instance, which pledged $120 million toward to the Black community through 2025. Several teams, leagues, and other multinational sportswear companies committed to similar initiatives. Yet, three years removed from the summer of 2020, questions still remain on how to transform the sport industry into a just and equitable space where people from all races have a sense of belonging. To transform sport, we believe Sport Leadership programs (and related majors) play a pivotal role in addressing the long-standing racism and injustices that exist within the sport industry. To that end, this workshop will focus on how classroom instructors can engage students, colleagues, and other sport-related programs in ways that will positively enhance students’ ability to lead and manage justly and equitably.

Samar Johnson, Writer, Educator, Academic, is a classically trained singer turned scholar and writer and is the Community Manager for the Lexington Writer's Room. They are in their last year of coursework for a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology.

Title

Creating Connections: Providing Students with Connective Opportunities

Description

In this digital age, it is more important than ever that students have ways to connect and can identify aspects of themselves within one another. This workshop seeks to guide instructors to provide connective opportunities with students by having them engage with the curriculum they would teach in the classroom. Educators will first read “anonymous” works by songwriters and analyze them without being aware of the identities. This will bypass participants’ biases in order for them to more effectively dive deep into the heart of the literature. Afterwards, participants will then engage in writing their own prose with a prompt and will have the opportunity to read the anonymous prose of others in the workshop. They will then briefly discuss their impressions and leave the workshop having made deeper connections with their fellow educators and have an exercise to incorporate into their curriculum.

Marshall Fields, CPLC, Communication Broker and Executive Coach, named as one of Cablefax's 2023 Diversity List Honorees, he founded PCHATP, which promotes positive communication habits and thought processes and through which he launched an online training course called Freedom from Racism Training, which focuses on using communication to overcome racism and highlights the importance of understanding different perspectives to promote diversity and inclusion. Fields has a number of certificates in Blended Learning Environments, Project Speaking Out, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, and Life Coaching. 

Title

Bridging Gaps

Description

In this presentation, Fields will talk about how we can use communication to overcome race issues and share the value of looking at our barriers through empathy. He will conduct part of a workshop created to help engage the topic of racism using popular comedic clips. This will help educators consider alternate ways of discussing the factors of our emotions, environments, belief systems, and lived experiences. Afterwards, he will discuss how educators can take the method used during the workshop and duplicate it within class rooms.