HEARD: The Hub for Equity, Anti-Oppression, Research, and Development was launched in 2018. HEARD’s aim is to draw together members of the Penn GSE community committed to equity and anti-oppression scholarship — and to provide opportunities for continuing learning and research.
Issues of race and diversity have long been important to Penn GSE, and research around these topics cuts across the school with multiple faculty members, staff, and students tackling issues of racial literacy, systemic racism, gender equity, and linguistic diversity from different disciplinary perspectives.
HEARD includes the study of anti-oppression more broadly and welcomes Penn GSE students, faculty, and staff interested in various anti-oppression topics. HEARD initiatives include the Staff Reading Group, Movie Nights, Get HEARD Lecture Series, and Visiting Faculty Scholars of Color.
Join us for Visiting Faculty Scholars of Color Series 2022-23!
One Book, One GSE is an annual tradition that fosters a sense of unity and intellectual exploration throughout our community. It brings together students, staff, and faculty to engage in meaningful discussions and activities inspired by a common book. This year, we have selected Jose Antonio Vargas's book Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen as our school-wide reading experience. Dear America is a poignant and eye-opening memoir that offers a deeply personal perspective on the experiences of undocumented immigrants in the United States. In this powerful narrative, Vargas shares his own story as an undocumented immigrant, shedding light on the complexities, challenges, and triumphs of the undocumented community. His book is a call to action, a plea for understanding, and an invitation to engage in dialogue about immigration, identity, and belonging in America.
Watch “How to resolve racially stressful situations"
In this video, Professor Howard Stevenson explains how racial stress impacts health and what we can do about it.
View “George Floyd and the Domino of Racial Injustice"
In this video, Trevor Noah, of the Daily Show, shares his thoughts.
View “The difference between being “not racist” and antiracist.”
In this TED Talk, Ibram X. Kendi defines the transformative concept of antiracism to help us more clearly recognize, take responsibility for, and reject prejudices in our public policies, workplaces, and personal beliefs.
Watch “Dr. Ibram X. Kendi: Creating A More Equitable Society Is In White Americans’ Self Interest.”
Ibram X. Kendi joins Stephen Colbert on The Late Show to discuss what it takes to call one’s self antiracist.
Racial Equity Tools
Special Topic: COVID-19
Learn more about Penn GSE’s Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion.
December 5, 2022
Our event featured librarian scholars who discussed the effects of book banning on educational forces during these mercurial times. Drs. Vanessa Irvin, Emily Knox, and Kafi Kumasi shared their knowledge and research about how book banning in schools and libraries impacts readers’ intellectual freedoms.
November 7, 2022
Dr. Sigal Ben-Porath invited the UPenn community to an inclusive and informal conversation on challenging theoretical scholarship on social justice.
October 21, 2022
Dr. Kathleen Hall, and Ph.D. Candidates Ankhi Thakurta and Angus McLeod organized a discussion on the principles and examples of successful grant proposals.
September 15, 2022
In a collaboration with the Middle East Center, Dr. Ameena Ghaffar-Kucher and colleagues in the Costs of War Project, led a conversation focused on the importance of teaching the impact of 9/11, and the aftermath of subsequent wars over the last 20 years on education.
April 20, 2021
Dr. Doug Frye and doctoral advisee, Laronnda Thompson presented their study that seeks to understand the role of the development of interpretive theory of mind in literacy and school achievement.
April 16, 2021
Dr. Jalil Mustaffa Bishop, Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellow, facilitated a discussion about the racialized student debt crisis and its potential solutions.
April 6, 2021
Dr. Howard Stevenson, Constance Clayton Professor of Urban Education, facilitated a discussion after the screening of the documentary, True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality. In the documentary, Stevenson uncovers and confronts systemic racism in America and the U.S. criminal justice system.
July 10, 2020
Dr. Ariane Thomas facilitated a discussion about the podcast from the Brookings Institute entitled, “A New Paradigm for Valuing Black Communities.” This podcast features Dr. Andre Perry’s book about Black cities whose assets and strengths are undervalued, and offers a new paradigm for determining the value of Black communities.
February 28, 2020
Dr. Marsha Richardson, Senior Lecturer, facilitated a discussion after the screening of the movie, Green Book. The movie follows an African-American classical pianist and his working class Italian-American driver as they tour the pre-civil rights era American South.
February 10, 2020
Adam Kirk Edgerton, Ph.D. Candidate in Education Policy and recipient of the 2019 NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellow, discussed his thought process and steps for receiving this prestigious award.
January 24, 2020
Dr. Jessie Harper led the discussion about the second episode of the video series, “Unnatural Causes.” The second episode, “When the Bough Breaks,” illustrates how a lifetime of exposures to racism can literally get inside the body and affect the health of newborns.
November 8, 2019
Dr. Christopher Ashford, Executive Director of Penn Futures, facilitated a discussion on James Baldwin's essay, "A Report From Occupied Territory." Baldwin, an American novelist, playwright, and activist, explored intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in Western societies.
September 27, 2019
The screening and facilitated discussion of the movie, The Hate U Give was co-sponsored by Student Services and HEARD, the Hub for Equity, Anti-Oppression, Research, and Development. Dr. Ann Tiao and Imani Harvin facilitated the discussion.
April 12, 2019
Learn to use LaTeX with Dr. Manuel González Canché, Associate Professor of Education at the Introduction to LaTeX Workshop. This powerful tool saves researchers effort and time when preparing manuscripts.
April 4, 2019
Dr. Nelson Flores, Associate Professor of Education, was the recipient of a Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2017. He will discuss what the grant aimed to accomplish and his steps for successfully receiving this award.
March 29, 2019
Dr. Diane Larsen-Freeman, Visiting Senior Fellow in Education Linguistics, will facilitate a discussion on “Linguiscism.” We will discuss various readings that interrogate structures of power and the re/production of forms of oppression related to language.
March 19, 2019
J. Cameron Anglum, recipient of the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, discussed his thorough process and steps for successfully receiving this prestigious award with students, faculty, and staff.
January 29, 2019
Dr. Atiya Strothers, Postdoctoral Fellow for Diversity, facilitated a discussion with members of the Penn GSE community about Baltimore Rising. Baltimore Rising follows the Baltimore demonstrations and protests in the wake of the death of Freddie Gray, an African American man who died in police custody.
January 25, 2019
This session was facilitated by Jinxi Yu, Wellness Coordinator for Penn GSE’s Student Services. We began the session by watching a video in the Netflix Original Series entitled “13 Reasons Why.” This video chronicles events in the life of a student as she confronts mental health challenges. The screening was followed by a discussion on the topic.
November 30, 2018
Dr. Ann Tiao facilitated a discussion on the article “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” by Anne-Marie Slaughter. In her article, Slaughter discusses the balancing act that women face while working and raising children. She also outlines what needs to change both in workplaces and in society to create equal opportunities for all working women.
November 27, 2018
Our inaugural grant-writing workshop was facilitated by Dr. Manuel González Canché, Associate Professor of Education, and Higher Ed Ph.D. students: Adam Edgerton, Ji Yeon Bae, and Taylor K. Odle.
November 6, 2018
In an informal conversation with faculty, staff, and students, Dr. Brian Burt discussed his recent NSF Award and challenges of navigating the professoriate as a faculty member of color. Dr. Burt was a participant in Penn GSE’s Visiting Faculty Scholars of Color Lecture Series.
October 26, 2018
Dr. Alex Posecznick facilitated the discussion about a short video in the Netflix Original Series entitled “Explained – The Racial Wealth Gap.” In this video, Cory Booker and others discuss how slavery, housing discrimination, and centuries of inequality have compounded to create a racial wealth gap.
September 28, 2018
Dr. Jessie Harper led the discussion about Kimberle Crenshaw’s article, “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color.” In her article, Crenshaw explores both the gendered and racial dimensions of violence against women of color.
A standing committee on Race, Equity, and Inclusion has been appointed. The Committee has faculty, staff, and student representation. Its charge is to address ongoing issues of school climate and safety around race and diversity at Penn GSE and to develop proposals about how the School might best marshal its resources in order to make Penn GSE a more inclusive school.
Learn more by visiting our Race, Equity, and Inclusion webpage.
Current REI Members:
Penn GSE’s affinity groups focus on various topics related to diversity and inclusion.