Dr. Chitra Golestani, associate director of the Wilmette Institute, will present “Having Skin in the Game: Humane Education and Social Justice” at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 27, via Zoom.
The Wilmette Institute, located in Evanston, Illinois, is an educational institution that draws upon the principles of the Baháʼí faith to inspire sustained social change for the common good. It is a relatively new religion that teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people.
In addition to her administrative role with the institute, Golestani serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Institute for Humane Education and as a consortial faculty member at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. She also works as an educational consultant, guest lecturer and qualitative researcher, and she is cofounder of the Paulo Freire Institute at the University of California – Los Angeles, which aims to transform community-based learning.
Her areas of interests, lectures and research involve human rights, social justice and global citizenship education, conflict resolution and restorative justice, youth activism in extended education, conscious living and social action.
Golestani’s presentation will introduce humane education concepts to novices and demonstrate how individuals must play a role in accomplishing a more compassionate world. During the presentation, she will explore how concepts from humane education can conceptualize current events, and she will share her personal experiences.
Golestani’s work is inspired by her persecution experiences in her birth country, Iran, where members of the Baháʼí faith are not allowed to practice their religion and are prohibited from accessing higher education and denied other rights. During her childhood, Golestani’s family escaped Iran and fled to the United States in search of religious freedom, equality between women and men and human rights.
“Dr. Golestani comes to SFA with a wealth of experiences that can connect with our students, faculty and staff on so many levels,” said Dr. Sarah Straub, SFA assistant professor of educational studies. “Her areas of interest and research apply to many fields. I truly believe Dr. Golestani’s presentation will resonate with the larger Lumberjack community.”
The presentation is the first to be hosted by the Montgomery Professorship, an award Straub received in October 2020. It was established by the late Charlotte Baker Montgomery in memory of her husband, Roger, to encourage and perpetuate the teaching of humane education concepts and methods in public and private elementary and secondary schools through the support of teacher preparation in humane education.
The presentation is free and open to everyone. Register to attend at bit.ly/3q6W9TU.
For more information, contact Straub at straubsm@sfasu.edu.
By Nathan Wicker, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University
