Name: Quilting the Fabric of Freedom: Stitching Liberation, Belonging, and Agency into Learning Communities
Start: 2026-08-06T13:45:00-0400
End: 2026-08-06T15:45:00-0400

WISIT Summer Institute 2026

August 3 to 7, 2026
Washington International School, Tregaron Campus

Quilting the Fabric of Freedom: Stitching Liberation, Belonging, and Agency into Learning Communities

LIMITED

Thursday August 6, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT

Middle School Building Mad Lab (2nd Floor)

Limited Capacity seats available

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How might we create learning communities that do more than include—that affirm, liberate, and empower? This interactive session invites you to explore the metaphor and practice of quilting as a framework for building culturally responsive, inclusive schools. Drawing on findings from ethnographic research with Black middle school students, the presentation weaves together Gloria Ladson-Billings’ Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, the Street Data Agency framework, and thinking routines to illuminate how student voices can shape liberatory classrooms. We will engage in reflection, dialogue, and a hands-on quilting activity, creating “identity quilt squares” that symbolize our commitments to affirming student voice and agency. Together, we will stitch new understandings of belonging, mastery, and liberation into the heart of our learning communities.

Speakers

Gerald D Smith Jr.

Smithsonian

Gerald D. Smith Jr. is the former Principal of St. Thomas More Catholic Academy in Washington, DC, where he led with a focus on equity, innovation, and community partnerships. Currently he is the Lead Education Specialist for Youth Development Programs at the Smithsonian Institution... Read More →

Thursday August 6, 2026 1:45pm - 3:45pm EDT
Middle School Building Mad Lab (2nd Floor)

Interactive Course

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WISIT Summer Institute 2026

Gerald D Smith Jr.

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WISIT Summer Institute 2026

Gerald D Smith Jr.

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