Dr. Chonika Coleman-King

Executive Director

Dr. Chonika Coleman-King is currently Assistant Professor of Teachers, Schools, and Society at the University of Florida.  Her research focuses on how best to prepare teachers and teacher candidates to teach with an emphasis on social justice in schools that serve economically disadvantaged children and students of color, specifically Black children. Her research interests also include the development of culturally responsive curriculum and teaching practices across content areas. Additionally, Dr. Coleman-King focuses her work on anti-racist teachers, urban education, and the experiences of Black immigrant and Black American youth in U.S. schools.  Dr. Coleman-King is the author of the book, The (Re-)Making of a Black American: Tracing the Racial and Ethnic Socialization of Caribbean American Youth which documents the complex interplay between race, class, and immigrant status for Afro-Caribbean immigrant youth and the role of schools and families in helping students develop their racial and ethnic identities.  Her grants include the National Science Foundation, Integrative and Collaborative Education and Research (ICER) grant for $390,000 and the National Science Foundation, Discovery Research preK-12 (DRK-12) grant for $45,000. She also has a grant for $850,000 from Knox County Schools, where she is tasked with helping educators develop competencies around teaching racially, linguistically, and socioeconomically minoritized students.

Akwaaba Freedom School Advisory Board

Dr. Christopher Busey, Associate Professor of Education at the University of Florida

Tina Certain, Alachua County School Board Member

Dr. Dierdre Houchen

Dr. Katheryn Russell-Brown, Professor of Law at the University of Florida

Dr. Erica McCray, Director and Associate Professor of Special Education at the University of Florida