Fall 2017, the MACH-III Center launched the Building on Resilience Lecture Series. This lecture series named after the book, Building on Resilience Models and Frameworks of Black Male Success Across the P-20 Pipeline. One in a number of books series of books edited by Dr. Fred A. Bonner, II and published by Stylus, this volume uniquely examines the trajectory of Black males through the educational pipeline from pre-school through college. In doing so it not only contributes significantly to the scholarship on the experiences of this population but also bridges the gap between theory and practice to provide frameworks and models that will improve Black young men’s outcomes throughout their educational journeys.
A compelling feature of the book is that it does not treat Black males as homogeneous, but recognizes the diversity that exists among Black male cohorts in various educational settings. This book demonstrates the need to recognize students’ intersectional and individual characteristics in developing practices to improve outcomes at every educational stage. The lecture series features contributing authors as well as scholars whose research and activism support the book’s theme.
The inaugural speaker in this powerful series was Dr. Donna Y. Ford, Professor and Endowed Chair in the Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt University. She conducts research primarily in gifted education and multicultural/urban education and is the co-founder of the Scholar Identity Institute for Black Males at Vanderbilt. Dr. Ford is an author of a chapter in Building on Resilience. Her lecture title #BlackGiftedLivesMatter: How Equity Unwraps Gifts and Talents in Black Students was timely and brought awareness to the continuous patterns of inequity in gifted education.
The second speaker in the series Dr. David Stovall, Professor of Educational Policy Studies and African-American Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) kept the audience captivated with his lecture The Radical Project of Resistance and Resilience: Love and Self-Care in Troubling Times. His provocative message challenged the audience leading to a robust discussion.
The spring lecture series featured Dr. Judy Alston, professor in the Department of Doctoral Studies and Advanced Programs at Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio. Dr. Alston delivered a powerful message. Her topic #TIMESUP: STEPPING OUT OF THE BOAT TO LEAD, MOVING FROM TEMPERED RADICAL TO REFINED REVOLUTIONARY enthralled the audience as she used parallels of new testament symbolism, clearly describing tempered radical and refined revolutionary.
This semester, Dr. Gilman Whiting, an author in Building on Resilience will be the featured lecturer. Visit the Building on Resilience invite for more information.