Dr. Donathan Brown

Keynote Title
“Deconstructing Dissonance: The Contentious Political State of Curricular Diversity in American Higher Education”

Keynote Abstract
Continuously unfolding before our eyes are state-level debates around so-called “woke” politics, and its “infiltration” into the curriculum. Critical Race Theory, perhaps the most visible, yet oftentimes most amorphous example to date, continues to exist as a trojan horse for a variety of efforts aimed at restricting how race and racism are taught and discussed. As the United States, in various pockets, continues to become majority-minority, accentuated most notably by rising birthrates of non-white children, along with higher numbers of non-white students enrolling in secondary education, the hostility over curricular content continues. Therefore, the focus of this talk will engage and dissect ongoing political debates and policy actions aimed at censoring educators’ ability to decolonize conversations and curricula around race and racism.


Brief bio: Dr. Donathan Brown is the inaugural Assistant Provost and Assistant Vice President for Faculty Diversity and Recruitment. In addition, Dr. Brown is an Associate Professor, former U.S. Fulbright Professor, recently appointed member of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) climate justice working group, and is a US Fulbright Scholar Alumni Ambassador.

On the academic side, Dr. Brown is an expert on race and public policy, especially as it pertains to African Americans and Latinos. His research has materialized in both books and articles spanning topics ranging from voting rights, immigration reform and civil rights. Dr. Brown has provided expert commentary for many major media outlets, ranging from Forbes to the Huffington Post, along with multiple media outlets in Canada and Slovenia.


Rochester Institute of Technology, USA