Alyssa Wilson

The Project

Alyssa (she/her/hers) will challenge classroom censorship policies to advocate for equitable education by empowering students and community advocates with self-advocacy tools and training.

Widespread classroom censorship policies, particularly anti-Critical Race Theory (CRT) legislation, gained traction following calls for racial reckoning during the summer of 2020. Across the country, classroom censorship policies exacerbate racial inequities in schools and disproportionately affect marginalized students by fostering racially hostile school environments, perpetuating exclusionary discipline, and limiting equitable access to educational resources. This issue impacts students of color, students with disabilities, and other marginalized groups due to the systemic discrimination embedded in classroom censorship policies. Alyssa’s project seeks to combat this issue by providing effective tools and advocacy strategies to empower students and community advocates to challenge these policies.

Alyssa’s background as a former public-school teacher and student drives her dedication to addressing educational gaps and disenfranchisement caused by incomplete and unrepresentative teachings. Her passion for promoting equity in education is fueled by the memory of her former students and a strong desire to prevent any students from feeling excluded or minimized due to systemic educational failings.

Fellowship Plans

During her Fellowship, Alyssa will support community advocates by developing Action Kits and training materials to build the capacity of communities to address identity-related discrimination in schools resulting from censorship legislation. Additionally, she will create Know-Your-Rights guides tailored for students and families affected by education censorship policies. Alyssa will further contribute by developing civil rights complaints and drafting model affirmative policies that codify requirements for teaching representative history and humanities courses. Lastly, Alyssa plans to publish a guidance report and present her findings and recommendations for future advocacy promoting equitable education practices