Dr. Cierra Kaler-Jones, PhD

Pronouns – She/Her/Hers

Dr. Cierra Kaler-Jones is a social justice educator, writer, researcher, movement + meditation instructor, consultant, and speaker based in Washington, D.C.

According to Cierra, she says that, “My life’s work and heart’s work is dedicated to storytelling for social justice — using narrative change to disrupt the status quo and dismantle oppressive structures and systems [That system is CAPITALISM.] – I believe that with stories, we have the power to create fuller, deeper, and richer connections, and in turn, a more “radically” empathetic and just world.“

Cierra is the first-ever Executive Director of Rethinking Schools, the nation’s leading grassroots publisher for racial and social justice in education. She previously served as the Education Anew Fellow with Communities for Just Schools Fund and Teaching for Change. She is also currently on the leadership team of the Zinn Education Project and on the Steering Committee of Black Lives Matter at School.

EDUCATION

• Ph.D. in education from the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership at University of Maryland – College Park
• Graduate of Rutgers University and Douglass Residential College with a master’s degree in curriculum & instruction from The George Washington University