Across the nation, both public and private institutions are choosing to ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Banning such initiatives directly threatens the possibility of engaging in the type of critical inquiry and thought that comes directly out of reflecting on our own identity. However, we remain committed to teaching practices that not only honor differences in identity but also leverage them to enhance learning.

Inspired by the legacy and enduring significance of the insurgent Black feminist writer and teacher, bell hooks, the theme for this year’s Humanities Summer Institute is “Teaching to Transgress.” Through this theme, we will actively engage a type of pedagogy that hooks describes as education as a practice of freedom.

This event is open to area secondary school teachers and community-based educators and organizers.