Cultural Dialogues: Countering Racial Trauma One Conversation at a Time

In this episode, Dr. Cirecie West-Olatunji (CEO of CRESTSprogram, LLC) speaks with Dr. Aaminah Norris, a chapter author in Blessed Positionality: Reimagining Intersecting Subjectivities Between Black Women and Girls as Researchers and the Researched. This was conceived and co-edited by Drs. Dadria Lewis, Charisse Southwell, and Cirecie West-Olatunji.

Dr. Aaminah Norris is an Associate Professor in the College of Education, Academic Affairs at the California State University, Sacramento. Her research foci are racism and race relations, STEM education, digital literacy, culturally responsive pedagogies, and Black women teachers,

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Dr. Melissa Speight Vaughn joins the CEO of CRESTSprogram, Dr. Cirecie West-Olatunji, for a lively discussion about how Black youth can have agency to investigate and transform their lives.

Dr. Melissa Speight Vaughn is a visionary educator, researcher, and cultural exchange advocate dedicated to empowering youth, advancing Indigenous knowledge systems, and fostering global partnerships that bridge cultures and transform education. Dr. Speight Vaughn is a Research Scientist/Program Director for RISER - an intergenerational research fellowship exposing emerging researchers to asset-based research methodologies and providing research experience and mentorship for fellows. RISER is a Growth and Thriving initiative housed in the Center on the Ecology of Early Development at Boston University.

Dr. Melissa Speight Vaughn's LinkedIn Profile:

linkedin.com/in/melissasp8vaughn

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The CEO of CRESTSprogram, LLC, Dr. Cirecie West-Olatunji, engages in a conversation with Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings about Black children's educational concerns.

Gloria Ladson-Billings is Professor Emerita and former Kellner Family Distinguished Professor in Urban Education in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction and was Faculty Affiliate in the Departments of Educational Policy Studies, Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis, and Afro-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the Immediate Past President of the National Academy of Education. She was the 2005-2006 president of the American Educational Research Association. She is a 2020-2021 Hagler Institute Fellow at Texas A&M University. She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the British Academy. Ladson-Billings’ research examines the pedagogical practices of teachers who are successful with African American students. She also investigates the applications of Critical Race Theory in education.  

Ladson-Billings is the author of the critically acclaimed books, The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children, Crossing over to Canaan: The Journey of New Teachers in Diverse Classrooms, and Beyond the Big House: African American Educators on Teacher Education. She is the editor of 9 other books and the author of more than 100 journal articles and book chapters. She is the former editor of the American Educational Research Journal and a member of several editorial boards. Her work has won numerous scholarly awards, including the H. I. Romnes Faculty Fellowship, Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship, and the Palmer O. Johnson Outstanding Research Award. She is the 2015 recipient of the Social Justice in Education Award from the American Educational Research Association. She was named the 2012 winner of the Brock International Prize in education. In 2018, she was awarded an honorary degree from Morgan State University. In 2012, she was awarded an honorary degree from the University of  

Alicante, Alicante, Spain. In 2010, she was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Massachusetts – Lowell. In 2002, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. During the 2003-2004 academic year, she was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, California. In fall 2004, she received the George and Louise Spindler Award from the Council on Anthropology and Education for significant and ongoing contributions to the field of educational anthropology. In spring 2005, she was elected to the National Academy of Education and the National Society for the Study of Education. She is a 2008 recipient of the state of Wisconsin’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Heritage Award and the Teachers College, Columbia University 2008 Distinguished Service Medal. In 2015, she received the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award from the Literacy Research Association. In 2016, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Benjamin Banneker Association of the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics. In Fall 2017, she received the John Nisbet Award from the British Educational Research Association at the University of Sussex in Brighton, England. In April 2018, she received the American Educational Research Association’s Distinguished Research Award and the Division B (Curriculum Studies) Lifetime Achievement Award.  In 2023, she received the Professor A. Noam Chomsky North Star Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings' website: 

https://ci.education.wisc.edu/staff/ladson-billings-gloria/

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In this episode, the CRESTSprogram Co-Founders, Dr. Cirecie West-Olatunji and Dr. Constance West, discuss emancipatory research as a transformative approach to conducting inquiry about marginalized communities. For more information about their emancipatory research credential program, visit: www.crestsprogram.com/crests-liberate.

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In this episode, Dr. Samuel Burbanks, IV engages in a conversation with CRESTSprogram CEO, Dr. Cirecie West-Olatunji, about biology and Black children's achievement.

Dr. Samuel Burbanks is a part-time assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati (UC). He has been an educator for approximately 30 years, having taught in the Cincinnati public schools, where he ran a Black history after-school program. Dr. Burbanks also has experience in working with youth in the UC Upward Bound program. Dr. Samuel Burbanks earned his doctorate in education from the University of Cincinnati under the supervision of Dr. Cirecie West-Olatunji. You can email Dr. Burbanks at: [email protected] .

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In this episode, Dr. Cirecie West-Olatunji (CEO of CRESTSprogram) has a conversation with Mr. Larry Hayes, a mental health practitioner in the New Orleans (LA) area who practices Africentric Social Work. Mr. Hayes has been in private practice for nearly 40 years and works primarily with Black clients (adults and adolescents). Mr. Larry Hayes discusses the most pressing mental health needs within the Black community and the clinical interventions that address these needs. For more on Mr. Larry Hayes, visit his website: https://www.sankofacenter.net.

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Dr. Cirecie West-Olatunji (CEO of CRESTSprogram) introduces one of the graduate research assistants, Ms. Tyla Kennedy. Ms. Kennedy is a school counselor in one of the public charter schools in the New Orleans (LA) area and also serves as a graduate research assistant (GRA) with CRESTSprogram, LLC. Tyla discusses her experiences with Black schoolchildren and race-based stress. For more information about Tyla Kennedy, visit our website: https://www.crestsprogram.com/the-team. 

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In this episode, Dr. Cirecie West-Olatunji (CEO of CRESTSprogram) introduces the CRESTSprogram graphic designer, Ms. Jonae Bond. Jonae Bond is a multi-creative with a diverse skill set encompassing brand design, product photography, videography, creative direction, and web design. Her expertise lies in the realms of branding, marketing, content creation, website development, and social media advertising. For more information about Jonae Bond and the CRESTSprogram team, visit: https://www.crestsprogram.com/the-team.

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In this episode, Dr. Cirecie West-Olatunji (CEO of CRESTSprogram) interviewed one of our graduate research assistants, Ms. Dehjah Vaughn. Ms. Vaughn is a full-time classroom teacher and also a doctoral student. Dehjah discussed her passion for teaching extensively, drawing on her understanding of history and social justice principles. To read her full bio, go to our website: https://www.crestsprogram.com/the-team.

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In this episode, CRESTSprogram CEO, Dr. Cirecie West-Olatunji, engages in a lively conversation with Dr. Jeff Wolfgang about the area known as Pediatric Counseling.

Dr. Jeff Wolfgang is a clinician, researcher, supervisor, and professor of counseling. He approaches his work from a culture-centered, holistic, ecological perspective. Dr. Wolfgang has specialized in using creative approaches to counseling children and families dealing with traumatic stress and has over fourteen years of experience. Dr. Wolfgang has worked clinically as a school counselor and mental health community counselor, is an Associate Professor at North Carolina A&T State University, an affiliate faculty member for the Center for Traumatic Stress Research, and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development.

CRESTSprogram has commissioned Dr. Wolfgang to develop a credential program introducing the basic tenets of pediatric counseling. Keep checking our website for the launch date (www.crestsprogram.com). 

For more information about Dr. Jeff Wolfgang, visit his website at: https://profiles.ncat.edu/en/persons/jeff-wolfgang.

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