Teaching to Live: Reclaiming the Sometimes-Revolutionary Calling to Teach and Lead
Almeda Wright’s work explores the narratives of twentieth-century African American activist-educators and the ways they committed their lives to teaching and leading students. She observes that, while many of these educators were later lauded as revolutionary or radical leaders who launched movements for social change, all began with a humbler calling: to teach. Wright’s closing plenary address will expand on the ways that this calling to teach was often deeply rooted in local contexts and in a genuine love of the students—and also a love of the communities where these educators found themselves working. Wright’s address will not only offer a larger sense of the lives of historical activist-educators; it will also inspire us to renew our commitments to our educational contexts, to invest in our students and communities, and to remain open to the “sometimes-revolutionary” impact of the work we all do on our campuses.