Dr. Jamila Lyiscott examines how powerful language can be and perceived notions surrounding it. It took one moment in her teenage life when she realized although she knew how intellectual she was, others wouldn’t see it because of the way she spoke. Dr. Jamila Lyiscott’s works is what she describes as “Vision-Driven Justice”, which involves spending time reflecting and manifesting our futures.

Dr. Jamila Lyiscott, Assistant Professor of Social Justice Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and senior research fellow of Teacher College at Columbia University’s Institute for Urban and Minority Education (UME), visits Eckerd College next week to speak about her book “Black Appetite. White Food: Issues of Race, Voice and Justice Within and Beyond the Classroom”. Get to know Dr. Lyiscott prior to hearing her live:

“Dr. Jamila Lyiscott wants us to think about how powerful language is and how it’s perceived not only in the classroom but in everyday life.

“I know who I am culturally, linguistically, ethnically, and racially. I know that I’ve been through language and culture in different ways. I was curious like ‘Why am I showing up in this particular way?’,” she tells CL.

Dr. Lyiscott is the Assistant Professor of Social Justice Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and senior research fellow of Teacher College at Columbia University’s Institute for Urban and Minority Education (UME).

You can listen to Dr. Lyiscott next Tuesday at Eckerd College, where she’ll talk about her book “Black Appetite. White Food: Issues of Race, Voice and Justice Within and Beyond the Classroom. Released last year, the book centers around how white privilege shows up in the classroom and in our everyday lives, in particular the assimilation and erasure of blackness to succeed in academic settings. She’ll also speak about the Black experience in higher-ed environments and how Black students navigate those spaces. The free event takes place in Fox Hall 7 p.m.-9 p.m.

Her work focuses on what she calls “Vision-Driven Justice,” which involves reflecting on what we’re fighting against versus what we’re fighting for. She’s been in various social justice spaces since she was 15 and what she’s found in is there is more clarity and focus on the systems of power being fought against and not enough conversation about what kind of world we’re fighting for—in short, it’s hard to see what to see beyond what we’re fighting against. When she was in her late teens, a woman remarked on how articulate Lyiscott spoke. In that moment, she realized she’s perceived by others through the way she talked.”

Catch Dr. Jamila Lyiscott in person when comes to the Fox Hall at Eckerd College. See the event here. Read the rest of Dr. Lyiscott’s interview here.