Jamila Lyiscott

Jamila Lyiscott, also known as Dr. J, is an American scholar, writer, and spoken word artist whose work centers on language, race, and social justice in education. She is a tenured Professor of Social Justice Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the founding co-director of the Center of Racial Justice and Youth Engaged Research. Lyiscott holds an MA in Black literature from Hunter College and a PhD from Teachers College, Columbia University, where her doctoral research examined race, new literacies, and social justice through youth participatory action research.

Lyiscott is a co-editor of Critical English Education: Enduring Voices, New Perspectives and the author of Black Appetite. White Food: Issues of Race, Voice, and Justice Within and Beyond the Classroom. Her scholarship and public work explore the liberatory power of language and culture in the lives of youth of color, racial healing, and youth-led activism. She is widely known for her TED talk “3 Ways to Speak English,” which has been viewed millions of times, and she frequently delivers keynotes and workshops with educators, students, and communities across the United States.