‘Real Talk for Real Change’ Panel to Feature WCER Deputy Director Mariana Castro
February 17, 2021 | By WCER Communications
Mariana and four other academic/community leaders will share ways to enable productive discussion of race and equity issues.
WCER Deputy Director Mariana Castro will be on a panel of local and national experts that will meet to explore ways to engage in difficult but important conversations about race and equity.
Part of UW−Madison’s Real Talk for Real Change Symposia Series, the panel discussion, entitled “The Power of Real Talk to Make Real Change,” is free and open to the public and will take place online from 3-5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25. Register here to see the five-member panel share informed insights about engaging in real talk with key stakeholders through honest and genuine conversation.
“Today, more than ever, it is necessary to have real conversations that illuminate the ills in our society that perpetuate systemic racism and negatively impact future generations,” symposia organizers say. “But what does it take to engage in difficult conversations about race and equity? How can we transform conversations into action for lasting change?”
An assistant scientist and researcher at WIDA since 2006, Mariana brings leadership experiences from her work in various roles and projects at WIDA, WCER and SoE.
In addition to Mariana, the other panel members are:
Alex Gee ─ CEO of Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development and Senior Pastor of Fountain of Life Covenant Church, Inc.
Terrance Green ─ Professor, University of Texas at Austin, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy.
Baron Kelly ─ Professor, UW–Madison Department of Theatre and Drama & Division of Continuing Studies.
Dana Pellebon ─ Co-Executive Director of the Dane County Rape Crisis Center.
The Real Talk for Real Change symposia series focuses on critical issues of racial justice in education by centering the voices of UW–Madison scholars of color and community members. Organizers hope to share knowledge and facilitate conversations that will help UW–Madison and the wider education community focus on equity in education policies, curriculum, and practices of teaching and learning.
Sponsored by the School of Education’s Offices of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (OEDI) and by the office of Professional Learning and Community Education (PLACE), each event in the symposia series is hosted by the school’s Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion LaVar Charleston. Funding comes from the Wisconsin Center for Educations Products and Services (WCEPS) and the school’s Impact 2030 Initiative.
Recordings of four previous discussions in the series are available on PLACE’s YouTube page:
· Leading Antiracist School Communities
· Advancing Health Equity in the Era of COVID-19
· Addressing Inequities in School Policies, Policing and Discipline Practices
· Advancing Hip Hop as a Path toward Equity
Additional symposia events will be in March and April.
