Lecture: The Elusive Quest for Racial Equity in Education

Date: Wednesday,  September 16, 2020
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm talk, followed by Q & A
Online Platform: Zoom

What are some of the challenges in the elusive quest for racial equity in education in the United States? What policies and practices serve to handicap or reinforce these inequities? Where do institutions fall short? Where do they succeed? This talk will grapple with these questions while exploring some key educational inequities, at every level from Pre-K though College, with a focus on the work at several Chicagoland area institutions.

Aisha El-Amin holds a PhD in Policy Studies in Urban Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a Masters of Education from DePaul University and a Bachelor of Science in Management Studies from the University of Maryland- European Division. Dr. El-Amin is passionate about issues of equity and justice in education. These passions have led her to become an Illinois State Board of Education Certified K-9th grade teacher, an adjunct professor at several colleges and universities, an elected school board member for Community Consolidated School District #168, appointed board member for Routledge journal, Religion and Education, board vice-chair for Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR)-Chicago and board member with Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU). Additionally, Dr. El-Amin has served in several roles at University of Illinois at Chicago as a multi-million dollar education grant manager, director of The Council on Teacher Education, Associate Dean of Student Affairs in the College of Education and currently Associate Provost and Chief of Staff for the Provost.

Dr. El-Amin’s education and experience have allowed her to be the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, including the Muslim Women’s Alliance 2016 Inspiring Women’s Award, Diversifying Faculty in Illinois Fellowship, Illinois Veterans Grant and DePaul/Glenview Clinical Model Scholar and Rainbow Push Excellence in Education Award. Dr. El-Amin’s activism is best captured in her historic leadership roles with various Chicago based organizations. Some of her roles included coordinating committee member of Teachers for Social Justice, co-founder of Bridging the Gap Inc., co-chair of Inner City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) Takin’ it to the Streets event logistics, and co-chair of the Public School Initiative for Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC).