Jason Arday, Black Men in Academia, and the Weight of White Privilege
This episode of The Reckoning brings together four brilliant Black men scholars for reflection: Dr. David Malebranche, Justin Smith, Dr. Ed Garnes, and Dr. Deion Hawkins. Together, they unpack what Professor Arday's death reveals about the specific dangers Black men face inside elite academic institutions — and why "white privilege" is often best understood not by what it grants, but by what it protects people from ever having to endure.
Breaking Barriers: Black Men Navigating Higher Education
On this episode of The Reckoning, host Dr. Deion Hawkins sits down with guest Dr. Lance T. McCready for an honest conversation about what it truly means to break barriers as Black men in higher education.
Creating Safe Spaces for Black Queer Youth in Schools: You Don’t Have to Do It All, But You Should Do Something
As a Black queer teacher with over 10+ years of teaching across various cultures, including in the Midwest, East Coast, Appalachia, and at an HBCU in the South, I wanted to provide a road map/examples of how teachers of all sorts can intentionally create spaces where Black queer students thrive.
Not All Book Bans Are Equal: Censorship and the erasure of Black queer literature
While ample attention has been given to book bans, especially recently, one aspect is, oddly, glaringly absent from the conversation- how are minority children who desire to read these books impacted by these bans?
What We Missed In The Moonlight: Chiron’s Journey and the Unchecked School-To-Prison Pipeline For Black Queer Students
Instead, it was a post that read “They’re having a best gay movie off” and it featured two films - Call Me By Your Name and Red, White & Royal Blue. Individuals, particularly Black queer men like myself, were stunned as the film Moonlight, which won an Oscar, was glaringly absent from the discussion (a topic for another day).
Back to School for Black Queer Kids: Its Complicated
It is incredibly dehumanizing, discouraging, and demoralizing to be a 1st generation, neurodivergent Black queer man who flourished academically while others, including friends, seemed to be relegated to the shadows.