There is something powerful about educators who are committed to introducing children to the genius in them.  Dr. Chris Emdin is a genius personified, and this intellectual cipher between two intellectual powerhouses who love Black people, teach the babies, and defend democracy is anchored by the freedom to dream and the importance of having safe and supportive spaces to nurture our dreams.

Dr. Emdin earned his PhD in urban education with a concentration in Mathematics, Science, and Technology to birth the #HipHopEd social media movement, wrote books for “White For White Folks Who Teach In the Hood, and the Rest of Yall, too,” (yup, that’s the book title, get into it), and helps all of us get closer to freedom, faster.

As Dr. Emdin says, “Science is the ultimate, hybridized knowledge,” and he breaks down why.  This conversation between colleagues and friends celebrates the best part of Afro-Futuristic dreaming and system design, the trappings of white supremacy in public schools and policy-making, and the critical role that words and affirmation play in surviving white supremacy.

Emdin, Christopher. For White folks who teach in the hood... and the rest of y'all too: Reality pedagogy and urban education. Beacon Press, 2016.

Emdin, Christopher. Ratchetdemic: Reimagining academic success. Beacon Press, 2021.

Givens, Jarvis R. Fugitive pedagogy: Carter G. Woodson and the art of Black teaching. Harvard University Press, 2021.