A few words

About Us

A Message from Dr. Valin S. Jordan

Thank you for considering us for your diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice learning. 

 

As a diversity and social justice educator I am compelled to support others in a transformative learning process that moves them closer to recognizing their role in collective engagement and the work necessary to experience community change and healing. We have to be willing to teach, to guide, and to be open – to be vulnerable as a collective. I am committed to providing resources and support that provide individuals with engaging self-inquiry modalities. My philosophy is deeply rooted in the commitment to understanding the self; our self-engagement, rather self-knowledge, prepares us to be more effective and deliberate about our work and engagements with others. This work requires an understanding of cultural, historical, political and social constructions of class, disability, gender, race, religion, sexuality, etc. It is my position that in order to experience a shift towards justice, we must be willing to unearth, challenge and examine our own positionalities to begin moving towards inclusivity, justice, and welcoming environments. Once we have engaged in a process of self-work and understanding our identity framing, we can begin to engage in equitable practices.

 

I have been deeply moved by the people I have worked with and they have been deeply moved by my work. The path towards justice happens collectively in community and I commit to remaining a member of the communities I have support.

-Dr. Jordan

About our founder

Developing anti-oppressive tools for change through yoga

A headshot for Dr. Valin Jordan seen from the chest up. She is smiling with her hair straightened before a black background.

Dr. Valin S. Jordan

Dr. Valin S. Jordan is an academic and social justice educator. She is a longtime educator beginning her career as an elementary special education teacher in her hometown of New York City, and eventually moving into higher education supporting the development of pre-service teachers and faculty towards more socially just practices in classrooms. Dr. Jordan’s scholarship and teaching she uses self-inquiry and contemplative practices as a tool for examining issues of oppression and marginalization as a way to move closer towards equity and social justice. She has publications in the Journal of Contemplative Inquiry, Perspectives on Urban Education, Research in Contemporary Education, and the American Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies. Dr. Jordan recently published a book chapter entitled, “It’s Like Boiling a Frog": Experiences of Deintellectualization, Devaluation, and Dehumanization through the eyes of a Black Woman Academician in the Deep South”. The book, Critical Perspectives on Teaching in the Southern United States is available now.

 

Dr. Jordan has also founded an organization called Yoga4SocialJustice® in 2018. Through Yoga4SocialJustice® she provides workshops combining a yoga practice, which is a practice of embodied and spiritual learning to social justice work to support people in their continued efforts towards transformative change in our society. Through Yoga4SocialJustice, Dr. Jordan has delivered her workshops as part of 200-hr teacher trainings, she has partnered with numerous yoga studios across the US and Canada to provide workshops to their community, she has also delivered her workshops to colleges and universities, as well as government entities. Dr. Jordan also produces a podcast called Being Social Justice, each episode focuses on the connections of mind, body, and spirit practices as it’s connected to the commitment of social change and justice – the podcast is available on Anchor, Apple, Google Podcast, and Spotify.

 

Doctor of Education

The George Washington University, Washington, DC 2017

Field of Study: Curriculum and Instruction

Specialization: Curriculum Theory, Social Justice Education

 

Master of Science in Education

CUNY Hunter College, New York, NY

New York City Teaching Fellows Program 2010

Concentrations: Special Education – Learning Disabilities

 

Bachelor of Arts

University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 2008

Major: Psychology

Minor: Marketing

Academic Journal Articles:

Book Chapter:

Reports:

Under Review:

  • Jordan, V.S. and Green, M. (Dec. 2020). Daydreaming in diversity class: Consciousness raising amongst teacher education candidates. Multicultural Perspectives.

Online Contributions:

 
  • Jordan, V.S. (April 2021). Disrupting Business as Usual: Developing as a Peer Connector through Mindfulness and Social Justice Education. Workshop delivered to student mentors, Office of Peer Connections, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA. 
  • Jordan, V.S. (April 2021). Disrupt to Transform: Building Social Justice Understandings through Yoga. Workshop delivered for yoga teachers for Power Yoga Canada Yoga Studios (13 studios), delivered via Zoom. 
  • Jordan, V.S. (April 2021). Disruption for Transformation: An Intro to Anti-Oppressive Education. Workshop delivered for faculty, students and staff, High Point University, delivered via WebEx. 
  • Jordan, V.S. (March 2021). Disrupt for Transform: Building Social Justice Understandings through Yoga. Workshop delivered for physical therapists, Pelvic Nola Health, delivered on site. New Orleans, LA.
  • Jordan, V.S. (Nov. 2020). Anti-Racist Pedgaogy. Workshop delivered for Kappa Delta Pi, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, delivered via Zoom.
  • Jordan, V.S. (Nov. 2020). Restoring towards Justice. Workshop delivered for a course in the School of Public at George Washington University, Washington, D.C., delivered via WebEx.
  • Jordan, V.S. (October 2020). Navigating Difficult Conversations. Guest Lecturer for UNIV 100, University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Invited by Dr. Brian Bolton.
  • Jordan, V.S. (October 2020). Radical Equity and Collective Healing. Restoring towards Justice. Workshop delivered to the Women’s and Gender Equity Center at University of North Carolina-Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, delivered via Zoom.
  • Jordan, V.S. (Sept. 2020 – Jan. 2021). Free to Be Courageous. Series of four Trainings/Workshops provided for the New Orleans, LA community. Hosted by Free to Be Power Yoga Studio, delivered via Zoom.
  • Jordan, V.S. (September 2020). Initiating Social Justice Change through Contemplative Practices. Workshop delivered to be Panhellenic registered groups, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA, to be delivered via Zoom.
  • Jordan, V.S. (August 2020). Disruption for Transformation: An Intro to Anti-Oppressive Education. Workshop delivered to yoga teacher trainees, Free to Be, New Orleans.
  • Jordan, V.S. (June 2020). Disruption for Transformation: Building Social Justice Understandings through Mind, Body, and Spirit learning. Workshop delivered to staff, The Sensory Space Counseling Services, Poughkeepsie, NY, delivered via Zoom.
  • Jordan, V.S. (June 2020 – Nov. 2020). “If These Streets Could Talk”: A series on race and social justice. Invited lecturer/speaker, hosted by Southern Louisiana Community College campuses, delivered via Webex. Monthly series until November 2020.
  • Jordan, V.S. (June 2020). Amplifying Black Voices. Moderator, hosted by the University of Louisiana of Lafayette Office for Campus Diversity, delivered via Zoom.
  • Jordan, V.S. (April 2020). Community and Collective Engagement: New Visions for COVID-19. Host and moderator of a panel presentation hosted by Yoga4SocialJustice, delivered via Zoom.
  • Jordan, V.S. (April 2020). Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Implications of the COVID-19 Response. Panel presenter, hosted by the University of Louisiana of Lafayette Office for Campus Diversity, delivered via Zoom.
  • Jordan, V.S. (December 2019). Disrupting Patterns of Normalcy: Diversifying your Board. Workshop delivered to corporations and non-profit organizations. Hosted by Lafayette Consolidated Government and University of Louisiana of Lafayette Office for Campus Diversity and delivered at the Picard Center, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, LA.
  • Jordan, V.S. (November 2019). Give it Up to Get Empty: Making Room for Radical Change on a College Campus. Workshop delivered to faculty and staff, Office of Campus Diversity, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA.
  • Jordan, V.S. (November 2019). Disrupt to Transform: Building Social Justice Understandings through Yoga. Workshop delivered to the University Program Council, Office of Student Engagement and Leadership, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, LA.
  • Jordan, V.S. (October 2019). A Yogic Exploration of the School to Prison Pipeline. Workshop delivered in collaboration with Dr. Matthew M. Green. Training/Workshop provided for the Lafayette, LA community. Hosted by Yoga4SocialJustice and delivered at the Camellia House.
  • Jordan, V.S. (October 2019). Disrupting Business as Usual: Developing as a Peer Mentor through Mindfulness, Social Justice Education, and Yoga. Workshop delivered to Peer Mentors, Office of First Year Experience, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, LA
  • Jordan, V.S. (August 2019). Creating Magic for Social Change: Building Social Justice Understandings through Yoga. Workshop delivered to Residential Assistants, Office of Residential Life, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, LA
  • Jordan, V.S. (August 2019). Disrupt to Transform: Building Social Justice Understandings through Yoga. Workshop delivered to SOUL Camp student attendees, Office of Orientation, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, LA.
  • Jordan, V.S. (April 2019). Centering the Margins: Building Social Justice Understandings Through Yoga. Workshop delivered to faculty and staff, Office of Campus Diversity, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA.
  • Jordan, V.S. (April 2019). A Consciousness High: A Yogic Exploration of Incarceration and Legalization of Marijuana. Training/Workshop provided for the Baton Rouge, LA community. Hosted by the Yoga Noir Project.
  • Jordan, V.S. (April 2019). Sexuality and Gender: Heterosexism and the LGBTQi+ Community. Guest Lecturer for EDCI 427, University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Invited by Dr. Matthew Green.
  • Jordan, V.S. (March 2019). Child Activism and Advocacy: Ode to the Children’s Crusades of 1963. Guest speaker at New Iberia Middle School Black History Month Celebration. New Iberia, LA.
  • Jordan, V.S. (February 2019). Mardi Gras: Issues of Diversity. Guest Lecturer for EDCI 427, University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Invited by Dr. Matthew Green.
  • Jordan, V.S. (Dec. 2018 – April 2019). The Hunt for Courage: Yoga for Social Justice. Series of six Trainings/Workshops provided for the Lafayette, LA community. Hosted and delivered at GoodWolf Power Yoga Studio.
  • Jordan, V.S. (September 2017). Complicated conversations at the academy: Two-day workshop on race and gender. Workshop delivered for The Mary Louis Academy, Jamaica Estates, NY.
  • Jordan, V.S. (October 2013). Let’s embed instructional coaching into our nation’s teacher preparation programs! Presented at the monthly meeting of university supervisors at The George Washington University. Washington, D.C.
  • Jordan, V.S. (June 2013). How do we use Charlotte Danielson’s framework for teaching to enhance cooperating teacher’s knowledge for training teacher interns? Presented at the annual meeting of The George Washington University’s Cooperating Teacher Seminar. Washington, D.C.
  • Jordan, V.S. (2020, Oct 28 – Nov 1) “The Cure for Pain is the Pain”: New Visions and Possibilities for Healing. [Symposium]. AESA Annual Conference San Antonio, TX (Conference Canceled).
  • Jordan, V.S. (October 2019). Yoga for Social Justice: Critical Community Building for Social Justice Through Yoga. Presented at the annual meeting of American Educational Studies Association, Baltimore, MD.
  • Jordan, V.S., Wilson, K.R., Calais, J., Sam, R., and Feaster, A. (October 2019). Bringing My Sisters Along for the Ride: Narratives of Black Women in Higher
  • Education. Presented at the annual meeting of the Bergamo Conference on Curriculum Theory and Classroom Practices, Dayton, OH.
  • Jordan, V.S. (October 2019). Yoga for Social Justice: Developing Anti-Oppression Tools for Change through Yoga. Presented at the annual meeting of the Bergamo Conference on Curriculum Theory and Classroom Practices, Dayton, OH.
  • Jordan, V.S., Wilson, K.R., and Alsobrook, J. (March 2019). Searching for Other Brown Faces: The Experiences of Black Women at PWIs. Presented at the annual meeting of the Research Association of Minority Professors, New Orleans, LA.
  • Flint, T., Adams, M., Jordan, V.S., and Bernard, A. (November 2018). Incarcerated Fathers’ Participation in Supporting the Early Literacy Development of Their Children. Presented at the annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of English, Houston, TX.
  • Green, M. and Jordan, V.S. (November 2018). A Curricular Construction of Inter-Love.
  • Presented at the annual meeting of American Educational Studies Association, Greenville, SC.
  • Jordan, V.S. and Green, M. (November 2018). Daydreaming in Diversity Class: Consciousness Raising amongst Teacher Education Candidates. Presented at the annual meeting of the Bergamo Conference on Curriculum Theory and Classroom Practices, Dayton, OH.
  • Jordan, V.S., Wilson, K.R., and Alsobrook, J. (November 2018). Searching for Other Brown Faces: Black Female Experiences of Schooling and the Academy. Presented at the annual meeting of the Bergamo Conference on Curriculum Theory and Classroom Practices, Dayton, OH.
  • Jordan V.S (April 2018). If Frederica is Wacky, then so Am I: Centering Black Female Voices through Autoethnographic Counterstorytelling. Presented at the annual meeting of American Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies, Queens, NY.
  • Jordan, V.S. (April 2018). “I get hair problems! Hair, Agency, Sexuality, and Skin Tone: Four White Women’s Understandings of Black Females through Counternarratives. Presented at the annual meeting of American Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies, Queens, NY.
  • Jordan, V.S., Green, M., Haj-Broussard, M., and Ruiz, M. (March 2018). Social Justice in the Time of Trump: Teaching for (in) a Diverse Society. Presented at the annual meeting of Louisiana Education Research Association, Lafayette, LA.
  • Flint, T., Adams, M., Jordan, V.S., and Bernard, A. (March 2018). Incarcerated Fathers’ Participation in Supporting the Early Literacy Development of Their Children. Presented at the annual meeting of Louisiana Education Research Association, Lafayette, LA.
  • Jordan, V.S. (January 2018). I thought school desegregation happened in 1954? Why race in Louisiana public schools still matters. Presented at the annual meeting of Louisiana Council for Exceptional Children, Lafayette, LA.
  • Jordan, V.S. (November 2017). Developing the agency of teacher educators through autoethnography. Presented at the annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of English, St. Louis, MO.
  • Jordan, V.S. (October 2017). Exploring the intersection of race and gender through children’s literature counternarratives of Black females. Presented at the annual meeting of Curriculum and Pedagogy, New Orleans, LA.
  • Jordan, V.S. (October 2017). “This is my story too!”: Four White Women’s Understandings of Gender and (Race). Presented at the annual meeting of the Bergamo Conference on Curriculum Theory and Classroom Practices, Dayton, OH.
  • Jordan, V.S. (November 2016). Performing the self as raced and gendered: White female
  • pre-service teachers’ exploration of the self through counternarratives in children’s literature.
  • Presented at the annual meeting of National Council of Teachers of English, Atlanta, GA.
  • Jordan, V.S. (October 2015). Response to Crystal Laura’s book Being Bad: My Baby Brother and the School to Prison Pipeline. Presented at the annual meeting of the Bergamo Conference on Curriculum Theory and Classroom Practices. Dayton, OH.
  • Jordan, V.S. (February 2015). Discussant on a research session panel on teacher mentoring and supervision. Annual meeting of the Association of Teacher Educators. Phoenix, AZ.
  • Jordan, V.S. (November 2014). The vulnerability of story: Narratives of raced, classed, and gendered selves. Presented at the annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of English. Washington, D.C.
  • Jordan, V.S. (February 2014). Coach me…please! The potential impact of instructional coaching
  • for pre-service teachers. Presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Teacher Educators. St. Louis, MO.
  • Jordan, V.S. (February 2014). Using critical race theory to support the supervision and development of beginning teachers in their “pre-service learning”. Presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Teacher Educators. St. Louis, MO.
  • Benton, E., Bierzynski, D., De Silva, N., Jordan, V.S. (October 2013). “Narrative as inquiry”: Narrating inquiry to create spaces for doubt, definitions, encounter, and care. Presented on a panel at the annual meeting of the Bergamo Conference on Curriculum Theory and Classroom Practices. Dayton, OH.
    Jordan, V.S. & Vanderbilt, S. (February 2013). Preparing teachers for diverse urban classrooms. Presented at the annual meeting of the Education Symposium of Research and Innovation. Washington, D.C.

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