COPE celebrates Black History Month
The College of Professional Education (COPE) at TWU is proud to celebrate Black History Month in February. Below you will find several resources suggested by COPE for Black History Month and the college will welcome Brittany Frieson, PhD, to present Hear Our Truths: The Power of Multilingual Black Girls' Literacies on Feb. 25.
As part of a university that ranks second in Texas and fourth nationally in ethnic diversity and announced its most diverse student body ever last fall, the college values equity and inclusion.
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Frieson will present via Zoom at 12 p.m. Feb. 25. She is also a part of COPE's Research, Inclusion & Innovation Speaker Series. Frieson is an assistant professor in the Teacher Education and Administration Department at the University of North Texas who specializes in critical theoretical approaches to language and literacy education, anti-racist education, and African American language speakers in bilingual education.
Her research includes language, literacy and practices of young Black American children in bilingual education programs. Frieson has been awarded the 2021 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the American Association of Applied Linguistics (AAL) and her work has been published in multiple publications.
In Frieson’s presentation — Hear Our Truths: The Power of Multilingual Black Girls’ Literacies — she will unpack the nuances of how multilingual Black girls navigate social worlds by challenging raciolinguistic ideologies and hegemonic systems of oppression. In their stories, Frieson will emphasize the importance of creating critical translanguaging spaces that honor the unique epistemologies and literacies of Black girls in bilingual education programs.
Celebrating Black History Month is one of many initiatives from COPE to affirm the inclusion of diverse populations while honoring the college’s commitment to social justice and respect for everyone. Other initiatives include:
- COPE Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice committee
- Research, Inclusion & Innovation Speaker Series
- Holmes Scholars Program
- Project PIONERAS
- COPE Emerging Leaders
- Project HELP
In addition to COPE’s Black History Month recognition, there are also events from the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Outreach.
At TWU, we celebrate diversity and lived experience as these are drivers for innovation, and we believe bringing new perspectives to previously intractable problems leads to solutions. In addition to COPE, Texas Woman’s is proud to celebrate Black History Month and the legacy of our Black faculty, staff, students and alumni.
COPE Suggested Resources
Recommended Books
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Heavy - An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
In this powerful and provocative memoir, genre-bending essayist and novelist Kiese Laymon explores what the weight of a lifetime of secrets, lies, and deception does to a black body, a black family, and a nation teetering on the brink of moral collapse. (Schribner)
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The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Time of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Michelle Alexander’s stunning account of the rebirth of a caste-like system in the United States, one that has resulted in millions of African Americans locked behind bars and then relegated to permanent second-class status — denied the very rights supposedly won in the Civil Rights Movement.
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Caste - The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched narrative and stories about real people, how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings. (Penguin Random House)
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Unapologetic - A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements by Charlene Carruthers
Drawing on Black intellectual and grassroots organizing traditions, including the Haitian Revolution, the US civil rights movement, and LGBTQ rights and feminist movements, Unapologetic challenges all of us engaged in the social justice struggle to make the movement for Black liberation more radical, more queer, and more feminist. This book provides a vision for how social justice movements can become sharper and more effective through principled struggle, healing justice, and leadership development.
Recommended Movies
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When They See Us - Created by Ava DuVernay
Five teens from Harlem become trapped in a nightmare when they’re falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park in 1989. This Netflix series created, co-written, and directed by Ava DuVernay is based on the true story.
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I Am Not Your Negro - Written by James Baldwin, Directed by Raoul Peck
Filmmaker Raoul Peck looks at James Baldwin’s unfinished book 'Remember This House' and examines race in America through Baldwin’s words and archival material. The film looks at black representation in Hollywood and beyond.
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Black Klansman - Directed by Spike Lee
Ron Stallworth is the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department. Determined to make a name for himself, Stallworth bravely sets out on a dangerous mission: infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan.
Page last updated 9:17 AM, April 23, 2024