Featured Speakers

This workshop centered on asking and discussing the following questions: Who are California’s English learners who are identified as Black? How are their stories included and shared as part of advocacy efforts for K-12 linguistically diverse students? What are their needs and the needs of educators who support them? In honor and celebration of the 70th anniversary of Brown V. Board of Education this session reviewed nationwide and select statewide demographic data in an effort to elevate and affirm Black multilingual students. Participants engaged in thought-provoking questions and discussions and were provided with options for action steps framed around empowering autonomous learners.

Ayanna Cooper, Ed.D., is an educator, bestselling author, and advocate whose work has centered around combating issues related to multilingual students’ civil rights, racism, and anti-Blackness in K-12 English language teaching and learning. She is a U.S. Department of State English Language Specialist alumna, having served on projects in Kuwait and Brazil, and served a term on the Board of Directors for TESOL International Association (2020-2023). At Howard University’s College of Education, she is a part-time faculty member in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

Dr. Cooper engages in “real talk” storytelling to bring linguistically diverse student populations to the center. She is the author of several publications that include And Justice for ELs: A Leader’s Guide to Creating and Sustaining Equitable Schools, Black Immigrants in the United States (co-edited), multiple chapters including one in Teacher’s College Press Justice for All: Realities and Possibilities of Black English Learners in K–12 Schools and as the founder of Language Magazine’s Pass the Mic Series editor.