Looking at School, Fear, and Possibilities: Imagining Futures Under Authoritarian Rule
Please join us in a conversation around School, Fear, & Possibilities: Imagining Futures Under Authoritarian Rule, featuring two guest speakers: Manuel Espinoza Ph.D, Muhammad Khalifa!
Title: School, Fear, & Possibilities: Imagining Futures Under Authoritarian Rule Talk
Guest speakers: Manuel Espinoza & Muhammad Khalifa.
Date: Thursday, February 5th, 2026, 5-6PM
Location: McHenry 0266 or via Zoom (Meeting ID: 933 0685 4982; Passcode: 924285)
Please complete this RSVP form if you plan to attend
Manuel is a child of desegregation and a Chicano ethnographer working in the scholarly tradition that emerged during the 20th-century struggle against racism in the U.S. As the Director and Co-founder of the Right2Learn Dignity Lab, now in its 15th year, Manuel works with an undergraduate and graduate research collective to develop two interconnected strands of research: 1) an inquiry into the historical and legal origins of educational rights and 2) a social interactional method for studying the manifestations of dignity in educational activity. Presently, the Dignity Lab is working to amend the “education clause” of the Colorado Constitution. Manuel has shared his expertise by contributing content on dignity in schools to the Cultivating Compassion for Ourselves and Others digital certificate.
His research examines how urban school leaders enact culturally responsive leadership and anti-oppressive schooling practices. He is a leading expert on equity audits for school districts. He was previously a teacher and administrator in Detroit Public Schools, and he has also contributed to community-informed education projects in Africa, Latin America, and Asia in various capacities. He formerly held the endowed Beck Chair of Ideas in Education at the University of Minnesota. He has contributed to education, development, or research programs in several contexts.
We hope you can join us in this conversation with Manuel and Muhammad!
