IN PHOTOS

AEA RA Goes Virtual for Second Year, Hybrid Rozzell Lecture Focuses on Equity

Each year as part of the Arkansas Education Association’s professional development conference, the Forrest Rozzell Lecture offers educators and the general public an opportunity to celebrate one of our state’s education pioneers while also learning new skills to serve Arkansas’s students. This year the global pandemic forced the AEA Conference to go virtual. However, the Rozzell Lecture, ‘A Revisit to W.E.B. Dubois Truth, Knowledge, and Sympathy in Public Schools’ with Dr. Charlotte Parham, was presented as a hybrid, allowing members to choose what was most comfortable for them. During this year’s lecture, Charlotte R. Green Parham, an educator for more than 20 years, revisited Dubois’s essential elements of truth, knowledge, and sympathy; and discussed how those components can provide a foundation for equitable education systems. This inspiring lecture was followed by the Virtual 2021 AEA Representative Assembly: Reclaim, Reimagine, Rebuild. The two-day event was broadcasted virtually to educators across Arkansas. Unlike last year’s event which was limited by technical restraints, RA Delegates were able to address the body, introduce and debate New Business Items (NBIs) and consider changes to the Constitution and Bylaws. One of those changes included removing specific dates when the AEA Board of Directors elects members to several committees to align with Article II Governance, Section 5 Board of Directors and Terms. On the opening evening, awards and honors were given to community leaders and educators who represent excellence.