M. Billye Sankofa Waters, Ph.D.
[em / BILL-ee / san-KO-fuh-WAH-ters]
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON TACOMA [2019 – PRESENT]
Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership
School of Education
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY [2012 – 2019]
Associate Teaching Professor
Graduate School of Education – Curriculum, Teaching, Learning, Leadership
EDUCATION
The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Doctor of Philosophy, 2012 | Master of Arts, 2009
Education – Culture, Curriculum, Change
Columbia College Chicago
Bachelor of Arts, 2005
Fiction Writing / Black World Studies
PRAXIS AREAS
Sociology of Education / Hill Model
Black Feminism
Critical Race Theory
Qualitative Inquiry
Radical Identity Praxis
Black Writers
2016
We Can Speak for Ourselves: Parent Involvement of Black Mothers in Chicago
Author
2017
The Audre Lorde Dinners: An Ethnographic Study of Black mothers who care for communities and self
Principal
Investigator
2018
Blackgirl Gold Unapologetic, Inc. — NFP
Founding Executive
Director
2019
Celebrating Twenty Years of Black Girlhood: The Lauryn Hill Reader
Sankofa Waters, Evans-Winters, Love (Eds.)
2020
Radical Identity Praxis, LLC
President
Praxis Overview
BOOKS
Sanchez, M. & Sankofa Waters, M. B. (Eds.). (2020). How we got here: The role of critical mentoring, love and teaching in preparing new generations of social justice scholars. Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Sankofa Waters, M. B, Evans-Winters, V., & Love, B. L. (Eds.). (2019). Celebrating twenty years of Black girlhood: The Lauryn Hill reader. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing.
Sankofa Waters, B. (2016). We can speak for ourselves: Parent involvement and ideologies of Black mothers in Chicago. Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Rhodes, B. (2002). Penetrated soul: somethingsihadtorelease. Chicago, IL: Onyx Roads Books.
COURSES TAUGHT [SELECTED]
Doctoral Seminar in Curriculum Leadership: Urban Education
Introduction to Doctoral Studies
Leadership for Social Justice
Research Design (Positionality and Theoretical Frameworks)
Social Justice and Educational Equity
INVITED KEYNOTES / DISCUSSIONS [SELECTED]
Sankofa Waters, M. B. (2021). Why’d You Show Up?: A CRT and Black Feminist Reflection on Praxis. Invited talk for Seattle Central College, Seattle, WA.
Sankofa Waters, M. B., Cutts, Q., Love, B., McArthur, S., Muhammad, G., & Sealey-Ruiz, Y. (2021). Abolitionist Teaching and Healing with the Dope Black Women Collective. Invited talk for the Office of Equity and Inclusion at the University of Washington, Tacoma, WA.
Cullors, P. M. Billye Sankofa Waters and Ashanté Samuels, Moderators (2020). The future of the movement: A moderated conversation about Black Lives Matter with co-founder Patrisse Cullors. Invited presentation of the Office of Equity and Inclusion at the University of Washington Tacoma, Tacoma, WA.
Sankofa Waters, M. B. (2019). Gwendolyn Brooks’ 50th Anniversary Keynote address conducted for the Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS/SERVICE [SELECTED]
Radical Identity Praxis, LLC
President
Blackgirl Gold Unapologetic, Inc. — NFP
Founding Executive Director
American Educational Research Association
2018–2021 Hip Hop Theories, Praxis & Pedagogies SIG Executive Board
National Women's Studies Association
2018–2020 Governing Council
2015 Women of Color Leadership Project cohort
Western Journal of Black Studies
Editorial Board