Aja Denise Reynolds
Assistant Professor of Urban Education and Critical Race Studies
areyno35@wayne.edu, hb9224@wayne.edu
Office Hours:
229 Education Bldg.
Aja Denise Reynolds
Biography
Aja D. Reynolds, is an Assistant Professor in the Teacher Education Department. She received her doctorate degree in the Educational Policy Studies- Social Foundations program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her scholarly work has focused on her collaborative work in creating ‘fugitive’ or freedom spaces with Black girls through the use of art, activism and healing as she explores the geographies of Black girlhood. Her dissertation is titled “Ain’t Nobody Checking for Us: Race, Fugitivity and the Urban Geographies of Black Girlhood”. Aja has over 12 years of experience as an educator/youth worker. Her research examines Black girlhood identities and geographies in the neoliberal -carceral state to explore liberatory praxis. She is part of national education organizations, including the Education for Liberation Network, in which she organizes with teachers, youth and community organizations to develop more equitable educational structures for marginalized youth.
Aja is excited about continuing her work with educators and communities in sustaining freedom schooling for Black youth and those from other marginalized communities, and supporting pathways to increase Black and Brown teachers in PreK- 12 schools.
Area of Expertise
Black girlhood~ Youth Development ~ Critical Pedagogy
Courses taught by Aja Denise Reynolds
Winter Term 2024
- TED5100 - Professional Engagement, Advocacy, and Instructional Planning
- TED2200 - Foundations I: Foundations of Education in Urban Spaces
- TED6200 - Foundations I: Foundations of Education in Urban Spaces
Fall Term 2023
- TED5350 - Topics in Racial Justice in Education
- GSW5400 - Topics in Gender and Women's Studies
- TED5100 - Professional Engagement, Advocacy, and Instructional Planning
Winter Term 2023
- TED5100 - Professional Engagement, Advocacy, and Instructional Planning
- TED6200 - Foundations I: Foundations of Education in Urban Spaces
- TED2200 - Foundations I: Foundations of Education in Urban Spaces
Fall Term 2022
Winter Term 2022
Recent university news spotlights
- Reclaiming space, writing their own history
- Investigators give Black girls power to help eliminate the school-to-prison pipeline
- "Shifting Urban Narratives" featured in Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation video
- Division of Teacher Education awarded $100,000 grant to engage young people in “Shifting Urban Narratives”