Introduction by series curators, Dr. Roland L. Leak, associate professor of marketing at North Carolina A&T, and Rebekah Modrak, professor of art at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor In the wake of massive racial protests over the past year, some companies began the work of re-evaluating how their brand messaging…

Introduction by series curator Dr. Lata Murti, associate professor of sociology at University of Massachusetts Global “Educational institutions are the ONE thing that we all do for 13 years,” writes Dr. Trinity Davis in her contribution to this series. But our experiences of these institutions differ widely according to race…

Editorial Board Stephen J. AguiIar, Editor Stephen J. AguiIar is an Assistant Professor of Education in the Educational Psychology concentration at USC Rossier School of Education. His research agenda has two overlapping areas of focus: educational technology and policy relevant educational interventions. Dr. Aguilar’s work also focuses on policy-relevant educational…

The Spark team oversees the day to day operations of Spark and provides strategic direction. Elizabeth Cole, Director Elizabeth Cole is the director of the National Center for Institutional Diversity and Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies; Psychology; and Afroamerican and African Studies at the University of Michigan. Her expertise…

Introduction by Series Curator Charles H.F. Davis III, Assistant Professor in the Center for Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan; Founder and Director of the Campus Abolition Research Lab “Abolition is about presence, not absence. It’s about building life-affirming institutions.” – Ruth Wilson Gilmore The summer of…

By Jade Jacobs This piece is a part of our Spark Series Imagining Abolition and Educational Safety Beyond Policing A Contemporary Education Policy Issue Despite a growing body of research which shows police presence causes more harm than good, school districts still spend large portions of their budgets on school police. …

By Bethany Jo Murray, Shan Missouri, Pharren Miller, Michael Anderson, and David C. Turner III This piece is a part of our Spark Series Imagining Abolition and Educational Safety Beyond Policing The murder of George Floyd catalyzed a reckoning around anti-Blackness, racism, and police violence in the United States. This…

By Annalisa Myer This piece is a part of our Spark Series Imagining Abolition and Educational Safety Beyond Policing In the evolving landscape of higher education, the allocation of resources serves as a powerful indicator of an institution’s priorities. As colleges and universities strive to place student well-being and safety…

By Ashley Carpenter This piece is a part of our Spark Series Imagining Abolition and Educational Safety Beyond Policing As an educator, graduation season has been my favorite time of year. This past summer, I watched several videos of students achieving various milestones. Yet, I was sickened seeing videos of…