Event Details
When:
Thu, Feb 19, 2026, 6pm - 7pm
Location:
Online: Zoom
In-Person at WWU:
Academic Instructional Center West, Room 210
Price:
Free
Brought to you by:
Woodring College of Education, Whatcom CARE, Bellingham Public Schools, Whatcom Human Rights Task Force, The Foundation for WWU & Alumni
Description
This conversation brings together teacher leaders, community leaders, Indigenous leaders (Lummi Nation), student leaders, and school administrators to reimagine what transformative educational leadership can look like when it is rooted in justice, humanity, and collective responsibility. Dr. Cherry-Paul will explore what it means to lead for liberation in the current educational moment—one marked by intensifying attacks on racial equity work, widening opportunity gaps, and community demands for schools that affirm and protect all students. Grounded in her long-standing commitments to antiracist pedagogy, literacy, and community-engaged practice, she will offer frameworks, tools, and examples of leadership that disrupts inequitable systems while cultivating spaces where students, families, and educators thrive.
This session positions leadership as a shared practice—one that does not sit solely in administrative roles, but emerges through classroom teaching, youth activism, family and community advocacy, and the everyday decisions that shape school culture. Dr. Cherry-Paul will illuminate how cross-role collaboration can strengthen racial equity efforts, and how educational ecosystems can work together to sustain antiracist commitments over time. Participants will leave with new insights, renewed purpose, and actionable strategies for building and sustaining anti-racist educational communities.
Please note, this presentation will not be recorded.
Featuring:
Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul is the founder of the Red Clay Educators, co-director of Institute for Racial Equity in Literacy, co-director of the Teach Black History All Year Institute, and executive producer and host of The Black Creators Series. She is an educator with more than 20-years of classroom experience who has written several books that support reading and writing instruction including Antiracist Reading Revolution: A Framework for Teaching Beyond Representation Toward Liberation. Sonja has adapted the #1NYT Best Seller, Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism and You. Sonja leads professional development for schools and organizations in equity and antiracism. For a full bio and additional information visit sonjacherrypaul.com.
Questions and Accommodations
- Your point of contact for this event is The Foundation for WWU & Alumni. Call (360) 650-3353 or email Alumni@wwu.edu.
- Advance notice for disability accommodations and special needs is appreciated. Please mention your needs when registering.
- There will be auto-captions for the Zoom webinar.
Visitor Parking at WWU on Weekdays
- Mon-Fri, 7:00am-4:30pm: limited paid parking is available at the south C lots and north 6V and 7G lots.
- Purchase your permit at the lot pay stations or use the Parkmobile app.
- More parking details for campus visitors are available online.
Parking at WWU on Weekdays for Visitors with Disabilities
- Mon-Fri, 7:00am-4:30pm: both a WWU permit and state disability placard are needed.
- Purchase your permit at the pay stations in lot C or 6V or use the Parkmobile app (use Zone 1200). This allows parking in any disability space. If these are full, you can use a non-reserved space nearby.
- More parking details for campus visitors with disabilities are available online.
The views expressed by our speakers do not necessarily reflect those of Western Washington University.
