Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A 2022 ALA Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Title



In Black, Brown + Latinx Design Educators, Kelly Walters collects twelve deeply personal interviews with graphic design educators of color who teach at colleges and universities across the United States and Canada.





The book centers the unique narratives of Black, Brown, and Latinx design educators, from their childhood experiences to their navigation of undergraduate and graduate studies and their career paths in academia and practice. The interviewees represent a cross-section of ethnic and multiracial backgrounds--African American, Jamaican, Indian, Pakistani, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Mexican, and Brazilian.



Their impactful stories offer invaluable perspectives for students and emerging designers of color, creating an entry point to address the complexities of race in design and bring to light the challenges of teaching graphic design at different types of public and private institutions. Interwoven throughout the book are images that maintain cultural significance, from family heirlooms to design works that highlight aspects of their cultural identities. Readers will gain insight into the multitude of experiences of Black, Brown, and Latinx design educators who teach and work in the field today.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface (p. 6)
• David Jon Walker (p. 8)
• Anne H. Berry (p. 22)
• Samuel Romero (p. 34)
• Nida Abdullah (p. 48)
• Jason Alejandro (p. 62)
• Jennifer Rittner (p. 78)
• Shantanu Suman (p. 92)
• Ashley Doughty (p. 108)
• Ramon Tejada (p. 118)
• Kaleena Sales (p. 132)
• Ali Shamas Qadeer (p. 146)
• Kelly Walters (p. 158)
• Acknowledgments (p. 174)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

This book collects new and fresh narratives in the form of interviews with Black, brown, and Latinx graphic design educators with diverse backgrounds and experiences. All the designers offer interviewer Kelly Walters (Parsons School of Design) views on how art and education have shaped their careers and established a place for them in society. In addition they share personal insights about what it is to be a Black or a person of color in education. Discussions on diversity and inclusion incorporate reflections on the effective and not-so-effective current practices taking place in higher education to address minorities on college campuses. The common thread is the educators' agency as role models in helping students find their voices as artists and designers. Importantly, the interviews make clear how identity and where one comes from shape how one talks about design. These design educators tackle hard questions about race, identity, discrimination, and equity. At the intersection of design and education, these interviews show that cultural diversity can inspire creative work and foster enriching conversations between educators and their students. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. --S. Dorothea Scott-Fundling, Savannah College of Art and Design