Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez will be facilitating a discussion with esteemed author and activist Dr. Bettina Love, as she is honored with the 2024 Stowe Prize for Literary Activism.
Dr. Love is the author of Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal, which offers a compelling exploration of the detrimental effects of 40 years of public school policy on Black children, advocating for transformative reparations to heal and rebuild communities.
The Stowe Prize celebration will be held the evening of Wednesday, September 18 at the Immanuel Congregational Church in Hartford. It will feature a Social Justice Fair and a Free Public Program, offering attendees the opportunity to listen to Dr. Love and explore themes from her work. The discussion between Superintendent Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez and Dr. Love will follow.
“I am deeply honored to engage in a dialogue with Dr. Bettina Love, who challenges us to rethink educational systems and the broader societal structures that impact the lives of students. From justice to economic opportunity, these systems often reinforce the very inequities we seek to eliminate. I hope the stories and insight she shares inspire our community to work together to continue to foster equitable and inclusive environments for all young people,” remarked Dr. Torres-Rodriguez in anticipation of the Stowe Prize for Literary Activism celebration.
The program will also include remarks by Antoinette Brim-Bell, Connecticut's 8th State Poet Laureate.
The Stowe Prize recognizes distinguished books of general adult fiction and non-fiction that illuminate critical social justice issues in contemporary society in the United States.
“Dr. Love’s Punished for Dreaming cannot be ignored. In the tradition of literary activism and set within compelling personal stories, Love’s words make a reader feel emotions that spur action and keep us all accountable to the most powerful emotion of all: Love. As Dr. Love writes: ‘This nation must reckon with the notion of healing, repair, and love – of loving Black people because we are human,’” said Karen Fisk, Executive Director of the Stowe Center.
Recognized as one of the Kennedy Center’s Next 50 Leaders and honored with the Truth Award for Excellence in Education, Dr. Love co-founded the Abolitionist Teaching Network, which has distributed over $350,000 in grants, and played a key role in the “In Her Hands” program, supporting Black women in Georgia with over $13 million. A sought-after speaker and prolific writer, her work covers abolitionist teaching, anti-racism, and educational reparations, with her book We Want To Do More Than Survive.
Details:
Wednesday, September 18
5:30 – 6:30 pm: Social Justice Fair at Fellowship Hall, Immanuel Congregational Church
6:30 – 7:30 pm: Free Public Program at The Sanctuary, Immanuel Congregational Church
For more information or to register for the free public program, click here.
