Tarek Granthan - The Young, Triumphant, and Black: Overcoming the Tyranny of Segregated Minds in Desegregated Schools

About The Authors

Shawn Adams serves as founder and lead pastor for Connection Point Church, a church plant in Atlanta, GA. He has served in both private and public K12 education for more than 12 years and is presently the Vice-President for Student Life and Enrollment Management at Beulah Heights University in Atlanta. Shawns educational background includes a bachelors degree in business administration from The University of Texas at Austin and a masters degree from Oral Roberts University. He is currently completing his doctoral degree at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA.

Fred A. Bonner II is Professor and the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Endowed Chair in Education at the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University. Dr. Bonners work has been featured both nationally and internationally; he has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2010 Extraordinary Service Award from the Texas A&M University College of Education and Human Development, and the 2010 Faculty Member of the Year, Texas A&M University Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education (SAAHE) Cohort. He has been elected to membership of several National Honor Societies and serves in different editorial capacities for top-tier journals.

Patrice S. Bounds is a doctoral candidate in the Counselor Education and Supervision program at The University of Iowa. She is an adjunct professor in the psychology department at Chicago State University and counselor education department at Argosy University, Chicago.

Eric M. Bridges is a graduate of The University of Georgias educational psychology program with a specialization in gifted education. He was a student of Dr. Mary M. Frasier, who was an example of excellence and humanity. His research interests include liberation psychology, multicultural gifted education, and the healing connections between indigenous spirituality and psychology. Eric is associate professor of psychology at Clayton State University in Morrow, GA.

A graduate of Clark Atlanta University and The University of Alabama, Samantha Elliott Briggs, Ph.D., has nearly 20 years experience in social justice education, sociology, and womens studies. A former elementary school teacher, Dr. Briggs currently works as an educational consultant and adjunct professor in Birmingham, AL. She also conducts program evaluations and is a curriculum writer with her own company, PEACE Consulting: Providing Equal Access to Children in Education. Dr. Briggs can be reached at .

Karen Harris Brown, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is an associate professor at the University of West Georgia. Her current research interests center on professional efficacy and assessment practices when assessing the communication skills of K12 students who are English language learners. Dr. Brown holds an ESOL endorsement and degrees in the fields of special education and speech-language pathology. A licensed and certified speech-language pathologist with 20 years of experience, Dr. Brown continues to work with individuals across the lifespan in a variety of school-based and clinical settings.

Dr. Rhonda M. Bryant is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling and Educational Leadership at Albany State University. She earned a Ph.D. in counselor education from the University of Virginia and has been a counselor educator for more than 10 years.

Dr. David A. Byrd is the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs in the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University. His research has included the transition issues faced by underrepresented community college transfers at predominantly White universities and providing a pathway for student athletes to enter the teaching profession. He has published in the Journal of Negro Education as well as other peer-reviewed scholarly publications. Dr. Byrd completed his Ph.D. in higher education administration from Texas A&M University and has taught courses in multicultural education and in professional leadership studies.

J. Sean Callahan is currently an assistant professor of psychology at Georgia Highlands College in Marietta, GA. His research explores student engagement in hip-hop culture and how it is used to navigate the social, cultural, political, and historical conditions impacting schools and communities. Dr. Callahans work contributes to educators and parents understanding of the educational value associated with practicing hip-hop.

Kristina Henry Collins is a doctoral student and instructor of record in the Department of Educational Psychology at The University of Georgia, where she also received her education specialist degree in educational psychology, specializing in gifted and creative education. She holds a bachelors degree in electrical engineering technology from The University of Alabama and a masters degree in mathematics from Jacksonville State University with more than 18 years of educational teaching and leadership experience. She is currently the Executive Director and president of East Metro Alliance for Gifted Education (EMAGE), a regional affiliate of the Georgia Association for Gifted Children. Her research interests include fostering STEM identities in culturally diverse gifted students. Kristina is married to Maj. Tony Collins (USAFR) with two sons, Tony II and Ty.

Joseph N. Cooper is currently a Ph.D. candidate at The University of Georgia in the kinesiology department (Sport Management and Policy program) where he studies under Dr. Billy Hawkins. His research interests include sport, race, and education. His dissertation focuses on examining the impact of the institutional culture at a historically Black college or university on the college experiences of Black male student athletes.

Dawn L. Curry taught for 12 years in both private and public elementary schools. She has earned a masters degree in education with a specialization in reading and literacy. Ms. Curry is currently a doctoral student in the elementary education department at The University of Georgia. Her research focuses on gifted African American students and parental engagement. She is married to William and has three children, Timothy, Gabrielle, and Jacob.

Asabi A. Dean is a doctoral candidate in the Counselor Education and Supervision program at The University of Iowa. She is a single mom to an African American adolescent male who has been identified as gifted. Other research interests of hers include, but are not limited to, mental trauma, bullying in higher education, urban youth, and counselor training. Upon completion of her doctoral degree, Asabi plans to practice, teach, and conduct research at a university in the Midwest or East Coast area.

Jessica T. DeCuir-Gunby is an associate professor and program coordinator of educational psychology in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, & Counselor Education at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. Dr. DeCuir-Gunby earned her bachelors degree with a double major in psychology and Spanish from Louisiana State University in 1998. She earned both her masters and doctoral degrees in educational psychology at The University of Georgia in 2000 and 2003, respectively. Her research and theoretical interests include race and racial identity development, critical race theory, mixed methods research, and emotions in education.

Cheryl Fields-Smith is currently serving as an associate professor in the Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education at The University of Georgia. She completed her doctorate in 2004 at Emory University under the direction of Dr. Vanessa Siddle Walker. Her research has focused primarily on family engagement of African American parents. Today Dr. Fields-Smith documents the phenomena of homeschooling among Black families.

An academic specialist for Macon County Public Schools in Tuskegee, AL,