HER Editorial

Social Justice and Equity in Holistic Education

Authors

  • Fatima Brunson
  • María Heysha Carrillo Carrasquillo
  • AutumnJoy Felicidade Florencio-Wain
  • Debbie Millon
  • Meredith Shockley-Smith
  • Dr. Javania Michelle Webb

Keywords:

holistic education, social justice and equity, editorial, learning communities, healing, empowerment

Abstract

An introduction to the articles in the Spring 2025 “Social Justice and Equity in Holistic Education” issue of the Holistic Education Review, written by the guest editors.

Author Biographies

Fatima Brunson

Fatima Brunson, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Education Department at Spelman College, where she is committed to advancing equity and justice in education. Dr. Brunson earned her doctorate in Policy Studies in Urban Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Her research centers on the critical role that schools play in cultivating teachers’ cultural knowledge and deepening their commitments to responsive, equity-centered teaching practices—essential pillars of culturally responsive pedagogy. Through case study research in urban schools, Dr. Brunson investigates the complex dynamics that emerge when there is a demographic divide between students and educators. Her work sheds light on the factors that most significantly shape teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and practices, with the goal of equipping educators to better serve all students, particularly students of color. Beyond her academic research, Dr. Brunson collaborates with school districts and informal learning spaces—including science centers and children’s museums—to explore how educators across settings can work together to ensure that students experience humanizing, culturally sustaining learning environments. Through her consultation services, she offers both virtual and in-person training for organizations, providing critical support in cultivating inclusive workplace cultures and enhancing student engagement through culturally sustaining innovations. Driven by an unwavering belief in education as a tool for liberation, Dr. Brunson’s work is rooted in the urgent need to advance educational equity across both formal and informal learning spaces. Her research, partnerships, and advocacy reflect a deep, enduring commitment to ensuring that all children—especially those from historically marginalized communities—receive the affirming, high-quality education they deserve.

María Heysha Carrillo Carrasquillo

María Heysha Carrillo Carrasquillo, M. Ed., is a doctoral candidate in the Teacher Education and Learning Sciences program at North Carolina State University. Her research interests include critical pedagogies in community spaces, multilingual education, and teacher preparation. Heysha brings a breadth of practical teaching experience to her academic work, having spent nine years as a Certified Teacher in diverse North Carolina and Puerto Rico settings. Her experience spans preschool to middle school grades across rural, suburban, and independent schools. Heysha's academic journey is driven by a deep commitment to fostering inclusive and empowering educational environments.  Heysha is a graduate researcher at the Literacy and Community Initiative. In this role, she works closely with historically marginalized youth, assisting them in amplifying their voices by providing tools and strategies for them to write and publish their counternarratives. Heysha strives to impact education and contribute to social justice through her research, teaching, and community engagement.

AutumnJoy Felicidade Florencio-Wain

AutumnJoy Felicidade Florencio-Wain, PhD teaches in the department of Educational Studies and Leadership at the State University of New York at New Paltz. Dr. Florencio-Wain earned her doctorate in Educational Theory and Practice from the State University of New York at Albany. Her doctoral research in the most prominent forms of K-12 holistic pedagogies (including Montessori, Waldorf, Democratic Free schooling, and homeschooling) investigates the intentions, methods, and lifelong impacts of holistic education. Her current research, ethnographic shadowing of adult former students of holistic education, triangulates the previously collected data.

Additionally, Dr. Florencio-Wain offers online and in-person consultation and coaching using the HoW Wi THRIVE analytic framework to support caregivers, educators, and organizations in providing holistic wellbeing support. Dr. Florencio-Wain's work is founded in the conviction that holistic wellbeing support belongs in all human environments, and that the fundamental outcome of wellbeing is active engagement in creative expression, ecologic attunement, social justice, and the joyful upliftment of all.

Debbie Millon

Debbie Millon spent nearly two decades as a Head of School at two independent, holistic/ progressive schools. Her leadership is deeply rooted in the theories, writings, and mentorship of scholars who are considered to be among the pantheon of holistic education. Today, her work has expanded beyond a single school community, with an arc toward social justice. As an educational coach and consultant, and in her current role as Director of Operations at Educators Collaborative, she designs systems to support strategic transformation and partners with school leaders across the country. Debbie has also served in advisory roles in organizations focused on community engagement, educational equity, and justice across multiple levels of the educational landscape. Her work increasingly centers on guiding educators and leadership teams in critical reflection on equity, belonging, and privilege, with a particular focus on the imperative to de-center whiteness within progressive and holistic education.

Meredith Shockley-Smith

Dr. Meredith Shockley-Smith is the Executive Director of Cradle Cincinnati, Dr. Shockley-Smith is committed to building on the substantial reductions in infant mortality with a sustained focus on health equity and the elimination of the racial disparities of birth outcomes that still plague our community.  In addition, she is a Field Professor at the University of Cincinnati Medical School in the Department of Pediatrics. Prior to these roles she served as Director of Equity and Community Strategies for Cradle Cincinnati. During her tenure in this role she founded Queens Village, a community of Black women who work towards self-healing and sustainable systems change in the medical space.

Dr. Javania Michelle Webb

Dr. Javania Michelle Webb is an independent interdisciplinary scholar whose research draws from Black feminism, Black queer critique, and intersectionality. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies with emphasis in Social Justice and Women and Gender Studies from the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Her current work includes a landscape analysis of Black queer organizations across the Midwest, aimed at shifting perceptions to affirm the wholeness, worth, and humanity of LGBTQ+ youth and adults.

Dr. Webb recently served as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Riverside, where she managed a $1 million dollar research project exploring how relationships—familial, peer, and chosen—shape the lives of LGBTQ+ youth transitioning into adulthood in Southern California. Merging scholarship and community praxis, she also serves as the founder of You Are Worthy, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to mentoring and leadership development for Black queer and foster youth.

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Published

2025-07-08

How to Cite

Brunson, F., Carrillo Carrasquillo, M. H., Felicidade Florencio-Wain, A., Millon, D., Shockley-Smith, M., & Web, J. M. (2025). HER Editorial: Social Justice and Equity in Holistic Education. Holistic Education Review, 5(1). Retrieved from https://her.journals.publicknowledgeproject.org/index.php/her/article/view/3455

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2025): Social Justice and Equity in Holistic Education

Section

Notes from the Co-editors