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Amplify: Empowering Educators of Color for Student Success
Past Conferences

2022 Amplify

Amplify attendees pose for a group picture.
Attendees at the Amplify Conference 2022.
Three presenters sit on stage at the Amplify 2022 convening.
Amplify attendees attend a session in the Kauffman Foundation Conference Center at the 2022 convening.
Four people listening to a presentation
Amplify attendees of diverse backgrounds stand together with their hands and arms interlocked.
Amplify artwork
Educators of color at the Amplify Conference pose for a photo in front of the Amplify wall.
2022 Amplify Theme

Forward Focus: Toward a paradigm of liberation, empowerment, and inclusion

Friday, November 11, 2022

Friday’s conference kick-off centered on self-care. On the agenda was chair yoga with Dr. Auburn Ellis, chair massages, mindfulness with Solissa Franco-McKay and Wanda Bentrop, and BoxOut Stress with Ritichie Cherry. DJ Ben Rich DJ’d the evening.

Three people receive massages with more people waiting their turn around the room.
Amplify attendees were treated to chair massages. Photograph by Kamiasha Tyner.

Saturday, November 12, 2022

Opening keynotes Tysie McDowell and Nicole Goodman spoke about how educators are the needle that sews strength and support throughout students’ education.

Breakout I

  • Leading Radically in Complex Times, with Charles King 
  • Empowering Families of Color to Participate in Successful Family Engagement for Effective Partnerships, with Penny Christian  
  • Race, Place, and Money: The History of Public Education 
  • Student Voice: The Power of Doing Our Work, with Dr. Tyrone Bates, Jr. 
  • #Lifedatamatters, with Marcus Strother 
  • Culture & Culturally Responsive Education, with Brya Potter and Tasha Potter
  • Communicating Black & Brown Joy, with Sara Adjapong and Edmund Adjapong 
Amplify attendees listen during a breakout session in 2022.
Photography by Kamiasha Tyner.

Breakout II 

  • The Breaking Free Caste, Colonization and Colonization Efficacy, with Stacey Wyatt 
  • Creating Racial Affinity Spaces in Schools and Districts, with Rito Martinez and and Namoi Cortes 
  • Race, Place, and Money: Policy in Public Education, with Dr. Cokethea Hill 
  • I Am > I Was, with Demicco Witherspoon 
  • Self-Advocacy and Self-Care, with Nicole Rials 
  • Living and Leading Mindfully: Give Yourself Permission to Pause, with Robin Henderson Wilson 
  • Creating Classroom Space to Support Student Empowerment and Liberation, with Edmund Adjapong 

Lunch Keynote Panel

The lunch panel was led by Dr. Jennifer Collier and consisted of Kayla McClellan, Kellee Ransom, Michele Aguirre-Hill, Rasheedat Yahaya, Richard Abram II, and Rickina Rand. These were some of their key takeaways:

  • We all need to make being an educator a viable option.
  • Take care of teachers because they are a recruitment pipeline.
  • Do something that is nerve-wracking; it’s what teaches bravery.
  • Be unapologetically authentic, don’t compromise, and listen to students.
Amplify 2022 lunch panel
The lunch panel at Amplify 2022, led by Dr. Jennifer Collier, featured Kayla McClellan, Kellee Ransom, Michele Aguirre-Hill, Rasheedat Yahaya, Richard Abram II, and Rickina Rand. Photograph by Kamiasha Tyner.
A group of six panelists address a group of attendees.
Photograph by Kamiasha Tyner.

Breakout III 

  • Money Stacks? Nah, Book Stacks!, with Dayonne Richardson 
  • Backward Designing the Future, with Nathanial Turner 
  • Amplify Youth Voice for School Connectedness, with Monique Young 
  • Liberation Pedagogy: In Suffering We Find Our Humanity, with Sonn Sam 
  • Hip Hop & Social Emotional Learning, with Jamila Sams 
  • Becoming a Culturally Responsive Practitioner: Connecting with Students to Promote Academic and Social Engagement, with Tonya Waller 
Amplify attendees listen during a breakout session in 2022.
Photograph by Kamiasha Tyner.
Amplify attendees listen during a breakout session in 2022.
Photograph by Kamiasha Tyner.

Closing Keynote

Dr. Chris Emdin, internationally acclaimed author, speaker, scientist, advocate, and teacher closed the conference with a call to action to “awaken the spirit of young people” as a way to clear a pathway to empowering children with the skills needed to succeed in this world. 

Dr. Christopher Emdin closes the Amplify 2022 conference.
Dr. Christpher Emdin speaks to Amplify 2022 attendees. Photograph by Kamiasha Tyner.
A presenter addressing a crowd of conference attendees.
Photograph by Kamiasha Tyner.

The 2022 Amplify Community Advisory Committee

The 2022 Amplify Community Advisory Committee worked diligently to provide a convening that focused on attendees, their needs, and experiences. After considering feedback from previous attendees and educators of color, the committee members redesigned the 2022 convening to better meet the current needs of local educators of color. The Kauffman Foundation is thankful for their leadership and wisdom in planning and implementing a revised Amplify conference.

2022 Committee Members:

  • Dr. Jennifer Collier, Kansas City Public Schools
  • Dr. Trinity Davis, Teachers Like Me
  • Cornell Ellis, Brothers Liberating Our Communities (BLOC)
  • Nicole Goodwin, Scuola Vita Nouva Charter School
  • Keith Jones, Platte County High School
  • Charles King, Kansas City Teacher Residency
  • Elise Kwenin, Advanced Care Academy
  • Tysie McDowell, Crossroads Charter Schools
  • Edgar Palacios, Latinx Education Collaborative/Revolucion Educativa
  • Karis Walker, Crossroads Charter Schools