Lakeya Afolalu
Dr. Lakeya Afolalu (formerly Omogun) is known for her work that explores the role of language and literacies in Black African immigrant youth identity constructions and negotiations across school, community, and digital spaces. Her hybrid identity as a Nigerian and Black American coupled with her experience as a former middle school teacher influenced her current research project, which explores Black African immigrant youth schooling experiences in the United States. She focuses on how their new experiences with race in America (re)shapes their identity, language, and culture. Lakeya draws on her lived experiences, the wisdom of her former middle school students, and the arts to inform her creative approach to shifting static ideas about identity, culture, and language in schools and society at large. Dr. Afolalu is a Scholars of Color Transitioning into Academic Research Institutions (or STAR) Fellow with the Literacy Research Association, her work won the American Educational Research Association Bilingual Education Research Special Interest Group’s Outstanding Dissertation Award, and she was a 2020-2022 Fellow with the National Council of Teachers of English in their Cultivating New Voices among Scholars of Color (CNV) program. In collaboration with colleagues, she’s served as a Co-Pi and advisory board member for a William T. Grant Foundation grant, offering literacy insights/knowledge. Her academic research extends across the fields of literacy, language, education, sociology as well as immigration and race & ethnic studies and has appeared in the Journal of Literacy of Research, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Teachers College Record, and the Journal of Research in Childhood Education. She also uses her teaching, creative writing, and public speaking to advocate for youth and families, fostering public conversations and social impact in relation to identity, education. She has spoken on TEDx Talks, National Public Radio (NPR), and at SXSW. Her writing has been featured in ESSENCE Magazine and ZORA Magazine. In 2020, she won DivInc’s – a program that removes barriers to entrepreneurship for underrepresented tech founders – “Rising Star of the Year” award. Most recently, Dr. Afolalu founded a nonprofit organization, LitiARTs, that uses literacy, the arts, and mentorship to advance educational justice for youth of color while keeping their identities and well-being at the core. Dr. Afolalu holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from Michigan State University, an M.A. in Curriculum & Teaching, Literacy from Teachers College at Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Language & Literacy Studies from The University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Lakeya Afolalu is currently an Assistant Professor of Language, Literacy, and Culture at the University of Washington.
You can reach Dr. Afolalu online at https://lakeyaafolalu.com/.
To cite this episode: Persohn, L. (Host). (2023, Mar. 14). A conversation with Lakeya Afolalu. (Season 3, No. 20) [Audio podcast episode]. In Classroom Caffeine Podcast series. https://www.classroomcaffeine.com/guests. DOI: 10.5240/F003-DA43-E669-98CB-E29E-N