# AOCC 2025: Fri, Feb 28th & Sat, Mar 1st ## Friday Conference Schedule and Session Information: Open all sections Close all sections ### 10:00 - 1:00 p.m. Registration expand\_more Registered atendees can pick up a namebadge and lanyard. Location: Askwith Hall ### 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Breakout Session #1 expand\_more Sort Reimagine Research: Using AI to Empower International Scholarshipand Advance Social Justice Gutman 305 Roots and Wings, Teaching the Language of Survival: Black Boys and Communication Gutman Conference Center 4 ITF: Turning Opposition into Opportunity Gutman Conference Center 5 Power Pivots: Harnessing Hope to Navigate Career Transitions Larsen 203 Rescuing the Baby fromthe Bathwater: Rethinking and Refining Student Evaluations of Teaching Larsen 214 Bridging Gaps and Building Futures: Addressing Accreditation andFunding Challenges at HBCUs Larsen G01 AOCCX 1:00 PM - Creating a personal culture of achievement AND fulfillment 1:30PM - Liberating Lives Through Literacy: A New Vision for Education Bridging Larsen G08 ### 2:15 - 3:15 p.m. Breakout Session #2 expand\_more Sort Navigating the Multiplicity of Identities Within Latinidad Gutman Conference Center 4 The 1.3%: Strategies to Better Recruit, Retain, and Empower Black Male Educators Gutman Conference Center 5 Theatre Workshop: Reimagine Gutman 305 The Power of Critical Hope: A Dialogue Through the Lens of Fugitive Pedagogy Location TBA Neural Narratives: The Cognitive Cost of Curriculum Larsen 214 Newark Film School Presents Owning our Stories: Reclaiming Our Narrative through Intergenerational Storytelling Using AI and Filmaking Larsen G01 AOCCX 2:15 PM - Bearing Witness 2:45 PM - The King and Sai Larsen G08 ### 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. Opening Convocation and Keynote Address expand\_more HGSE's Academic Dean, Marty West, and Senior Associate Dean, Maritza Hernandez, will welcome attendees and will deliver the opening remarks to the 2025 Alumni of Color Conference! Opening remarks will be followed by a **keynote address by Sharif El-Mekki, CEO and Founder of the Center for Black Educator Development.** Location: Askwith Hall ### 5:15 - 6:00 p.m. AOCC Vibes: R&B Sing-A-Long expand\_more From R&B classics to gospel anthems, we’re bringing together voices and hearts for a moment of joy, nostalgia, and collective celebration. Lyrics provided—just bring your energy! Location: Askwith Hall ### 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. HGSE Alumni and Student Networking Reception expand\_more Location: Gutman Conference Center 1-3 ## Saturday Conference Schedule and Session Information: Open all sections Close all sections ### 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. Registration expand\_more Registered atendees can pick up a namebadge and lanyard. Location: Askwith Hall ### 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. The Power of Connection - Affinity Breakfast expand\_more Start your morning in community at the AOCC AffinityBreakfast, a space to gather over shared identities,experiences, and interests. Enjoy the yogurt bar, choose aroom that resonates with you, and engage in meaningfulconversations guided by thought-provoking questions andhosts. Location: Gutman Conference Center Lobby Please RSVP if you are interested in joining one of the breakfast breakouts listed below. [Click here to register for AOCC Breakfast Breakout](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfa-93JiuSkJmBdF2ruMNEKr5dxMdYQi6ul44SIEniW0FFYQ/viewform) Sort **Women of Color in Leadership** Gutman 305 **Black Leadership & Legacy: Building Networks for Impact** Gutman 302 **Raíces y Redes: Latinx Leaders in Education** Gutman 303 **Asian & Pacific Islander Voices: Leadership and Community** Gutman 350 **Pride in Practice: LGBTQIA2s+ Educators & Leaders** Gutman 404 **MENA Perspectives: Education, Leadership & Identity** Gutman 440 **Professional and Interest Based Network Breakfast** Table Groups: K-12 Schools & Leadership Higher Education & Student Affairs Education Policy & Advocacy Nonprofit, Philanthropy & Social Impact EdTech, AI, & Learning Innovation Early Childhood Education Special Education & Inclusion Alternative, Experiential & Non-Traditional Ed Gutman Conference Center 4/5 ### 9:45 - 10:45 a.m. Breakout Session #3 expand\_more Sort Reimagining AAPI Youth Education Gutman 302 Renaissance Leadership: Creating Brave Spaces for LGBTQIA Youth & Adults in Schools Gutman 303 From Toussaint L'Ouverture to Rosa Parks: Sparking Student Agency Through Hidden Histories Gutman 305 The Healing of Women Leaders of Color Longfellow 319 Resetting Education Through the Power of Alt-Ed Larsen 203 So Help Me God: Channeling Critical Hope Through Musical Storytelling Larsen 214 Solving The Youth Mental Health Crisis With Critical Hope Larsen G08 ### 11:00 - 12:00 p.m. Breakout Session #4 expand\_more Sort Hope in Action: A Workshop of Storytellingas a Bridge Across Difference Gutman 302 Critical Hope: Of Transformation and Legacy Exploring the works of Southeast Asian and Asian American artists Gutman 303 Reimagining Education Through Critical Hope: Building Bridges Between Generations Gutman 305 Reimagining a Culturally Sustaining Infant-Toddler Careand Resource Hub in a Public High School: Voices of Students Longfellow 319 Fostering a CulturallyResponsive Maker Mindset Longfellow 320 Building Our Critical Hope - The Freedom School of Homies Empowerment Larsen 203 The Institutions We’re In and the Institutions in Us Larsen 214 Youth and Leadership: The Critical Hope of Young Educators of Color Larsen G08 ### 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Lunch expand\_more Bag lunches will be available for pick up in Gutman Library and breakout spaces will be available to connect and convene during this time. Additionally, author and keynote speaker, Gholdy Muhammad, will host a book signing and meet & greet from 11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Location TBA. ### 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. Keynote Address expand\_more **Author and Professor Dr. Gholdy Muhammad** presents The HILL Model, an equity framework to help educators develop students’ histories, identities, literacies, and liberation. Location: Askwith Hall ### 2:45 - 3:45 p.m. Breakout Session #5 expand\_more Sort Reimagining K-12 Education With Critical Hope: Strategies & Mindsets That Humanize Black Boys & Men Gutman 302 Empowering Communities of Color Through Asthma Education with the LUMA Program: Your Health is Your Power Gutman 303 Sleep four hours, pass; sleep five hours, fail" – Challenges and Support for North Korean Refugees and South Korean Students Gutman 305 Heroes: Hype or Hope Graphic Story Design by and for Young Artists Longfellow 319 From Adversity to Possibility: Embracing Cultural Authenticity and Leadership to Reset and Reimagine the Future Longfellow 320 Navigating the Affirmative Action Ban Larsen 203 Radical Hope in the Face of Change Larsen 214 Rhythms of Resistance: Exploring the intersection of Hip Hop, Healing, Ethnic Studies, and AI Larsen G08 Alumni Panel Discussion: Excelling Beyond HGSE - Your Existence is the Resistance Larsen 106 ### 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Award Ceremony and Reception expand\_more Join us as we recognize HGSE community individuals who demonstrate outstanding commitment to equity in education. The following awards will be presented: - The **Alumni Achievement Award** - to an HGSE alum. - The **Tina Hansar Award for Educational Equity** - to a current staff member. - The **Kolajo Paul Afolabi Award for Commitment to Educational Justice** - to a current HGSE student. - The **Faculty Award for Educational Equity** - to an HGSE faculty member. - The **Turner Cooper Award For Commitment To People-First Practice In Education** - to a current HGSE student or alum. Location: Askwith Hall *The Harvard Graduate School of Education is committed to open discourse and academic freedom.* *Since its inception in 2003, The Alumni of Color Conference (AOCC) has become a learning space to connect and think critically about issues of race, class, and education as they pertain to all people—and in particular, to Communities of Color. It is an opportunity to bring people of various perspectives together and celebrate the diversity of thought, even though perspectives and ideas may be difficult or challenging to hear. An invitation to speak at the Harvard Graduate School of Education does not imply an endorsement of the speaker’s views or values by HGSE, Harvard University, or members of its community.* *Further, please keep in mind that that the ideas and opinions expressed by groups and individuals during AOCC do not reflect the views and values of the Graduate School of Education or Harvard University.*