College of Education and Human Development

Connect Magazine

Social justice

Advancing black intellectualism

Among Dr. Josie R. Johnson’s greatest achievements at the University of Minnesota was the founding of the Common Ground Consortium (CGC). Through the guidance of Dr. Johnson, then-dean William Gardner, and Professor Jean King, the CGC was...

Essie Johnson leading a meeting

Minnesota’s first lady of civil rights

By the time she arrived at the University of Minnesota in an official capacity in the late 1960s, Josie R. Johnson already had an extensive and impressive resume. She began early as an active participant in the civil rights movement while still a...

Dr. Josie R. Johnson

Honoring Dr. Josie R. Johnson’s U of M legacy

Civil rights icon helped steer the course of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the U, and CEHD is committed to expand upon the efforts she began in the college by increasing the number of Common Ground Consortium Scholars.

A system-level change maker

When it comes to making education more equitable and culturally relevant, Courtney Bell-Duncan is not interested in low-level changes. “I’m definitely a system-level change maker,” she says. And Bell-Duncan (’14 MEd, ’20 PhD– education policy and...

Alum Courtney Bell-Duncan

FSOS grad student leads international initiative in Liberia

Zamzam Dini, a Family Social Science (FSOS) doctoral student specializing in Couple and Family Therapy, flexed her clinical practitioner skills in Liberia last summer by leading workshops for parents and young women on healthy relationships....

Zamzam Dini (second from right) with members of the Organization for Women Empowerment NGO.

Wakpa Tanka and Misi-Ziipi: Today’s …. Mississippi River

I grew up knowing that the Mississippi River was both “great” and with falls. From my earliest memories, I remember trying to spell M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I orally the fastest. Yet, I never knew the Dakota language for this precious, life-giving...

Kristi Rudelius-Palmer