Chapter 8: Organizing For Equity: Addressing Institutional Barriers and Creating Learning Opportunities

In this chapter, we enter into an ongoing, longstanding discussion of ecosystems and the importance of understanding the people, places, and possibilities of learning and development across settings” (the very subtitle of this book) at a crucial moment in the United States and around the world. From increased economic instability, educational inequities, and health disparities to political upheaval and social inequalities, the lives of millions of people are being negatively impacted by the conditions of this present moment. This moment is being shaped heavily by the COVID-19 global pandemic and ongoing racial violence directed at Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other People of Color.¹ It is also being defined by increased disconnections within and across the multiple learning systems in which children, youth, and adults participate. As we recognize these difficult times and their impact on learning, we suggest that we need new forms and examples of leadership to meet this moment—forms and examples that are collaborative, collective, and based in cultural knowledge.