September 2025

James A. Banks, the Kerry and Linda Killinger Endowed Chair in Diversity Studies Emeritus and founding director of the Center for Multicultural Education (now the Banks Center for Educational Justice) at the University of Washington, will deliver the 2025 Brown Lecture in Education Research on Thursday, October 23, at 6:00 p.m. ET.

His lecture, titled “Rethinking Brown When Diversity and Equity Are Imperiled and Democracy Is Fragile,” will reflect on the impact of the Brown decision through the lens of his own experience growing up in a racially segregated community in the Arkansas Delta. He will also examine the resurgence of White racism and nationalism that threatens efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion, including multicultural education. He will call on educators to implement a transformative civic education curriculum, an approach that equips students with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills to become engaged citizens.

The Brown Lecture will be broadcast from the Dr. Felice J. Levine Convening Center at AERA to a global livestream audience of scholars, policymakers, educators, students, and members of the public.

Registration for the lecture livestream is now open. New this year is the option to register as an individual or as a watch-party group, with expanded opportunities for livestream attendees to share views and questions.

“We are thrilled to offer this expanded option for group watch parties during a time when coming together as a community is particularly important,” said AERA Executive Director Tabbye Chavous. "We encourage our association members and the broader public to use this format as an opportunity to engage their local constituencies in shared learning and in the critical conversations and diverse perspectives necessary for effective action and impact.”

Those who register as a watch party are encouraged to share photos and videos and join the conversation on social media using #AERABrownLecture and tagging AERA on Bluesky, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, or Threads.

The Brown Lecture highlights the important role of research in advancing understanding of equality and equity in education. It was inaugurated in 2004 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, in which the U.S. Supreme Court considered scientific research in its deliberations.