REACTinitiative

02/20/2026

March forward with purpose!

REACT Initiative's 4-part professional learning series equips educators and clinicians with practical strategies to support African American students through equitable assessment, culturally sustaining practices, and student advocacy. Each session is 1.5 hours and provides 0.15 ASHA CEUs. Seats are limited—register now!

Series Sessions:
>African American English and Education – Explore strategies for equitable assessment, differentiate targets for therapy, and support classroom instruction for African American students.
>Cultural Policing and the School-to-Confinement Pipeline – Examine disciplinary practices, factors placing students at risk, and strategies to improve student self-advocacy.
>Culturally Relevant and Culturally Sustaining Services – Learn how to incorporate culturally sustaining pedagogies into speech-language therapy for more equitable outcomes.
>Advocating for African American Students – Identify barriers to educational access, analyze culturally sustaining pedagogy, and partner with colleagues and community members to improve equity and opportunity.

Flexible Registration: Take individual sessions or the full series.
Register at https://tinyurl.com/AfAmStudents

01/27/2026

Is Language Subordination Lurking in Your Classroom? —
Quick Self‑Check

1. Do I celebrate the language(s) students bring with them?
✔️ Do I ask about their linguistic backgrounds and value them as assets?
2. Do my expectations insist only on the “standard” or dominant dialect/language?
✔️ Do I penalize or correct diverse linguistic codes without exploring their legitimacy first?
3. Are my teaching materials linguistically diverse?
✔️ Do texts and examples include multiple languages, dialects, or voices?
4. Do I allow space for translanguaging or use of students’ authentic voices?
✔️ Or do I push monolingual norms even when it silences students?
5. Do I consciously avoid tone‑policing or “correcting” students’ heritage codes?
✔️ Am I curious about what they’re saying before judging how they say it?
6. Do I support continued use and development of students’ home languages?
✔️ Or is the goal only to make them conform to the instructional language?

Language isn't neutral. How we treat it shapes students' identities and educational experiences. Being mindful of language practices helps make classrooms more equitable and empowering for all learners.

Read the blog post:
https://meglanguages.com/is-language-subordination-lurking-in-your-classroom/

12/02/2025

Today is Giving Tuesday, and I’m inviting folks to pour into the work that pours right back into our communities.

Through REACT Initiative, Inc., we’re continuing the fight for educational equity, culturally sustaining practices, and spaces where students of the global majority feel seen, affirmed, and supported.

If this mission has ever resonated with you…
If you’ve benefited from the resources…
If you care about breaking cycles of bias in education…
Today is a powerful day to give.

Every contribution—small or large—helps us expand programming, build community spaces, and support the next generation of culturally grounded leaders.

Donate here: www.iREACT.org/donate

Grateful for every share, every dollar, every prayer, and every bit of support.
Thank you for believing in this work. 💜✨

11/25/2025

Giving Tuesday is almost here, y’all!
If you’ve been following the work of REACT Initiative, Inc., you already know our heartbeat: promoting , uplifting voices of the global majority, and creating culturally sustaining spaces where students, educators, and communities can thrive.

Today, your support makes an even bigger impact.
Every single gift, large or small, helps us keep doing this work with intention, integrity, and joy.

If our mission has ever resonated with you…
If you’ve seen and felt the impact of what we do…
If you believe in educational justice, community care, and real change…

We’d love your support today.

Donate: www.iREACT.org/donate
Share: amplify the mission with among those in your network.

Thank you for investing in a vision that truly matters.

Join us in creating a more just and equitable future. Your donation empowers advocacy, education, and change through REACT Initiative, Inc.

11/12/2025

Spelman College is opening its doors even wider, giving high school students access to real college courses for free.

Through its partnership with NEON( National Education Opportunity Network), Spelman is offering college-credit-bearing classes to high school students in underserved communities

This is the kind of opportunity many of us wish we had at that age. What started with 50 students in 2023 has now grown to nearly 300 young scholars earning credit before they even apply to college.

This program isn’t just about academics. It’s exposure. It’s confidence. It’s Black girls seeing themselves on an HBCU pathway early and knowing they belong there. When you see representation at 16 or 17, it changes how you dream at 18 and 19.

Kudos to Spelman for remembering that access is a form of care and for giving our next generation the head start they deserve.

For more info contact Spelman, NEON or your student's school counselor for assistance

10/07/2025

Last Wednesday morning, Antonio Mauldin stood in front of a room full of eighth-graders at Paul Quinn College, trying to get them to look deep into the future.
Although they’re only in middle school, the students already have letters of acceptance to the college, located in southern Dallas. But that acceptance is contingent on a few factors, including graduating high school with a GPA of 3.0 or better.

09/01/2025

North Texas Giving Day 2025 kicked off its early giving period on August 28! 🌟

At REACT, we’re dedicated to creating equitable spaces for students, educators, and communities through advocacy, culturally sustaining education, and linguistic justice. Your support helps us continue this important work in North Texas and beyond.

Give early and help amplify Black voices, stories, and leadership: www.iREACT.org/donate

Join us in creating a more just and equitable future. Your donation empowers advocacy, education, and change through REACT Initiative, Inc.

05/28/2025

Throughout my educational trajectory, yes, even during my *Ph.D. program in Educational Leadership* (think about that) these same tired thieves of equity were present. From microaggressions like “This one gets it” after I successfully delivered a presentation for my administrative project, to the casual use of n****r by a professor, to peers being pushed out of the program, to deficit frameworks running rampant when discussing communities of color, to the lack of acknowledgement and understanding when I lost my mother during my dissertation—I was told that my writing on my most recent draft wasn’t up to par…imagine that! Honorable mention: the “one, two, skip-a-few” selective content that was presented in my history of education course…ensuring that Black folks were only shown in servitude.

Academic programs that fail to incorporate equity work aren’t only negligent; they do real harm to real people. Academic feedback without humanity isn’t just ineffective, it perpetuates violence. It upholds notions that productivity is king. It reinforces stereotypical expectations of endurance in the face of real trauma.

If these are the lessons being taught in educational training programs, is it reasonable to expect the hidden curriculum in contemporary classrooms to be any different?

Nah, son!

Sadly, my experience isn’t rare. These are just a few ways educational spaces uphold inequity every day:
-Culturally unresponsive curriculum
-Standardized testing bias
-Underrepresentation of diverse educators
-Deficit-based mindsets
-Exclusionary discipline practices
-Lack of access to inclusive special education services
-Language bias and monolingual ideologies
-School funding disparities
-Limited family and community engagement
-Inadequate trauma-informed practices
-Teacher bias and low expectations
-Gatekeeping in gifted/talented and advanced programs

No student should have to shrink, suffer, or survive just to learn. Let’s build learning spaces that see us, hear us, and affirm us. Tag someone who’s part of that vision…or who needs to be.

Want support in this work? Contact our team today: www.iREACT.org | 682.777.2749

02/18/2025

This blog post by highlights the experiences of Black students in CSD, shedding light on the challenges they face and the change they’re driving in the field. It’s an important read for anyone committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in speech-language pathology and audiology.

I'm deeply honored to be mentioned by my mentee. Witnessing her dedication to advancing in our field and her work as program coordinator of AffinityU has been truly inspiring. Jennifer Armstrong, I'm grateful to be a part of your journey! I can't wait to see the impact you will have on the profession.

Black professionals are underrepresented in audiology, speech-language pathology, and communication sciences and disorders (CSD), highlighting a need for greater diversity in the disciplines. Underrepresentation can affect access to culturally responsive care and inclusivity in the field. Black stud...

01/08/2025

January is National Mentoring Month!

What better time to launch Affinity U, a space designed to empower and support global majority CSD students?

Mentorship matters, and Affinity U is here to foster community, growth, and connection for students who are ready to lead and thrive.

Let’s celebrate National Mentoring Month by investing in the future—because representation and support make all the difference. 💬

Join us and be part of the movement!
Register for the upcoming Launch Party and Roundtable Discussion on at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/affinity-u-launch-party-and-roundtable-discussion-tickets-1123062583419?aff=oddtdtcreator

12/31/2024

2024: A Year of Impact and Growth! 🌍🎉
As the year draws to a close, we’re reflecting on the incredible milestones achieved at REACT Initiative, Inc. From launching Affinity U to surpassing 2,100 downloads on our podcast, The Culture We Speak, we’ve been busy building equity in education and language justice.
We’re especially proud of:
✅ Empowering students globally with the resources they need to thrive.
✅ Expanding culturally sustaining advocacy in literacy.
✅ Strengthening partnerships with schools, nonprofits, and corporations.
💜 THANK YOU to our supporters, collaborators, and community for believing in our mission. Together, we’re making a difference—one story, one student, one milestone at a time.
Check out our 2024 Year in Review and stay tuned for more exciting developments in 2025! 🌟
Learn more at www.iREACT.org.
#2024 #2025