Chapter 14: Origins and Payment Forward: Reflections on My Path to Social Justice Education and Advice to New Faculty

When Drew asked me to write a chapter he expressed two purposes. First, to reflect on what drew me toward being a social justice educator, and second to offer advice to young faculty about getting through the first years. As I saw it at the time, this activity was my chance to show love and respect to the thinkers and writers that shaped my ideas about social justice, curriculum, and teaching.

I began to jot down notes and develop the outline for the essay. As I plotted, an array of names naturally arose—some known, some lesser known: DuBois, Freire, Woodson, Ladson-Biling, Delpit, hooks, Sleeter, Lynn Fendler, Barbara Sizemore, Banks, Cleo Cherryholmes, Giroux, McLaren, Hunter Thompson, Don Moore, McIntosh, Fanaon, Tim Wise, Leslie David Burns, Chris Wheeler, David Lustick.