Education as the practice of freedom - bell hooks
Speaking Engagements
I speak about education, care-work, and social justice, drawing on my work as a lecturer, researcher, and Black British mother. My talks examine how misogyny, racism, ableism, and institutional power shape educational and societal experiences, and what meaningful change requires beyond policy statements. I work with universities, schools, charities, and public organisations, offering talks that are theoretically grounded, accessible, and attentive to lived experience.
Reciprocal Mentoring as a Racial Equity Intervention with Gruff Madrigal, Paulette Johnson and Mel Green
Open University PRAXIS Scholarship Hubs Podcast
Available at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1VlEWNajgpVyNuAfGJFHYM?si=EVdR_aWzQnO1w4EN_HwFvA
In this episode Mel is joined by Gruff Madrigal, a psychology graduate who became her reciprocal mentor on an assessment project, and Paulette Johnson, the academic lead who pioneered the OU's reciprocal mentoring programme. We explore reciprocal mentoring, an innovative initiative pioneered by the Open University's Access, Participation and Success team. Together, they reflect on how this model advances anti-racist practice and creates genuine partnerships between students and educators.
Exploring anti-racist design in online distance education with Mel Green, Anna Judd-Yelland and Mark Williams
Open University PRAXIS Scholarship Hubs Podcast
Available at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1OywubQ4CN2T2RGTytuoY1?si=26f3ac328fb54940
In this episode, Mel Green (ARIA Hub Lead) is joined by Mark Williams and Anna Judd-Yelland from the Open University’s Learning Design team to explore what anti-racist assessment looks like in an online distance education context. Together, they unpack the fears and possibilities around redesigning assessment to be more inclusive, transparent, and student-centred. Drawing on examples from the ARIA Hub, the E209 module, and their own learning design work, they discuss co-creation, authentic assessment, structural constraints, and the importance of challenging traditional definitions of the “good student” (Green and Malcolm, 2023, p.11).
Black Mothers Advocating for Their Autistic Children
University of Reading Centre for Autism Wellbeing Hub (March 2025)
Available at: Mel Green & Dr Claire Malcolm - Black mothers advocating for their autistic children
Dr Claire Malcolm and I present our research from Mothering at the Margins: Black Mothers Raising Autistic Children in the UK. We explore how race, gender, and disability intersect in the lives of Black mothers advocating for their autistic children, discuss systemic barriers in education, health, and social care, and celebrate the strength and community support systems Black mothers develop. The talk includes a call to action for more inclusive policies and practices to support Black neurodivergent families.
Keynote speech at Arden University's BHM
Arden University
Keynote presentation delivered during Black History Month, sharing preliminary findings from our research on Black British mothers raising autistic children. Dr Claire Malcolm and I discuss the structural barriers these mothers face in education and welfare systems, the labour of advocacy, and the resistance strategies that emerge at the intersection of race, disability, and motherhood.
Neurodivergence, Race and Islampohobia
Community Policy Forum
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLbfvFn3dN8
Recorded during Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2024, Dr Claire Malcolm and I discuss the unique challenges facing neurodivergent Muslims and individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds with Community Policy Forum. We explore how racism and Islamophobia compound the barriers neurodivergent people face, drawing on our research for Mothering at the Margins: Black Mothers Raising Autistic Children in the UK.
The Impact of Race and Racism on Children
Open University BME Network podcast
Available at: https://communitypolicyforum.com/neurodivergence-race-and-islamophobia-community-policy-speaks-podcast-episode-15/.
Exploring how race and racism shape children's experiences and development. Drawing on my research and practice as an educator and parent, I discuss the importance of talking about race with children, recognising racism's impact on young people, and creating spaces where children can develop positive racial identities.
Re-presenting blackness: teacher identity and online pedagogy in HE
Research at the OU Graduate School Podcast
Available at: https://on.soundcloud.com/S77xGyAxAPjcFEDsjN
Exploring how Black educators navigate identity construction in online teaching spaces and the particular challenges of re-presenting Blackness through digital pedagogy.