Anti-Black racism can be difficult to discuss in English language teaching because teachers often feel unprepared. This article describes our experiences as researchers and educators from a duoethnographic self-study to understanding the possibilities of addressing social justice issues in an adult English as a second language (ESL) classroom.…

Critical events in Leonard Matlovich's life depict a reluctant activist for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/gender diverse, and queer+ (LGBTQ+) equality. He served in the US military and subsequently came to personify the broad social challenges to the military's homophobic culture and recruitment practices. Matlovich's experience of a series…

The Workers' Educational Association (WEA) has supported adult learning for over 120 years. Participating in adult learning brings a range of benefits for individuals and communities. These go much wider than solely education benefits and include better health, increased participation in community activities, and increased confidence and critical…

In the Angel Studios 2024 movie "Cabrini" set in 1889, an Italian immigrant woman comes to America with a fierce passion for helping marginalized children. Charged with a seemingly impossible task, she perseveres through each obstacle. While watching the movie, I felt angry throughout at the injustices faced. Afterwards, I felt inspired…

This monograph aims to uncover value-belief-systems underlying dominant narratives in modern IHEs, impacting the lives of many multidimensional adult learners. To do so, Eurocentrism and neoliberalism are used to analyze the socio-cultural political movements of the U.S. and its influence on higher education trends. Then, models of adult…

The U.S. Supreme Court, on June 29, 2023, issued a ruling in the case of STUDENTS FOR FAIR ADMISSIONS, INC. v. PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE. The decision was anxiously interpreted as an end to race-based Affirmative Action. However, insufficient attention has been given to their discussions, holding that race was an underinclusive…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop queer futuring strategies that take into consideration adult learners' needs in support of transformational and sustainable change for social justice and equity. Design/methodology/approach: This paper develops the construct of queer futuring, which engages queer theory perspectives in a critical…

Teaching and learning processes often reflect traditional practices that do not meet the academic needs of historically underserved students, especially Latinx and Black students. The goal of the participatory action research project and study, anchored by our collective beliefs in critical pedagogy tenets, was to improve teacher practices and…

This paper explores the characteristics of learning festivals and Adult Learners' Weeks and their use as tools of advocacy in seeking policy change on behalf of under-represented groups, and it considers their impact on public policy affecting adult learners. In addition, it reflects on the role of the week in celebrating a culture of adult…

As an adult educator for more than 30 years, I have always searched for ways to incorporate creative expression into my teaching practice through engaged pedagogy and student assignments. My major influences came not from educational sources but from the art world and from natural surroundings. In the early 1990's I discovered New Brunswick-based…

In Australia, there is no one cohesive program design or curriculum which provides a framework for adult learning in Adult Community Education (ACE) organisations, with the two major states New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria leading the most developed systems. Many adult learners who learn in these education settings return to study to find…

This article provides a conceptual analysis of the two domains of global citizenship education and adult education and learning, along with their similarities and differences. It begins by unpacking the ambiguous and contested concept of global citizenship education and proposing a critical vision of it, within a global social justice framework.…

The purpose of conducting this basic qualitative study was to more fully understand marginalized Black males' transformational learning experiences when engaged in mentor-mentee relationship programs. A review of the existing literature revealed that marginalized adult learners' engagement in collaborative education programs enhanced learners'…

Purpose: This paper conceptualizes a just leadership learning ecology through an analysis of one nontraditional site of leadership preparation: the Highlander Research and Education Center (originally founded as the Highlander Folk School). Methodology: Drawing on cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) and institutional theory (IT), we examine…

In the context of the popular Women's March on Washington and sister marches elsewhere, we analyze the tension between the marches as a valuable political act and a perpetuation of feminism as a space for white, middle-class women. We present short narratives of our own varying experiences with the Women's March--and with white…