In two weeks, I am scheduled to deliver the most significant lecture of my academic career. It’s one of the highest honors in my field — like winning an Oscar in education. My flight is booked. My hotel is reserved. I even know what I plan to wear.
And yet, I am asking myself a question I never imagined I would have to consider: Should I go?
Not because I am unprepared. Not because I am unwilling. Not even because of the long lines due to of TSA officer shortages. But because I would have to pass through major airports, including Chicago, where the increasingly visible and unpredictable presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents has created a climate of fear. And I am scared.
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting is the largest gathering of educational researchers in the world. With more than 15,000 attendees and over 2,500 sessions, it is a cornerstone of scholarly exchange. This year’s conference is being held April 8-12 in Los Angeles and is centered on the theme, “Unforgetting Histories and Imagining Futures: Constructing a New Vision for Education Research.”
I have the distinct honor of delivering the AERA Social Justice in Education Award Lecture. I am the 22nd recipient of this prestigious recognition in the organization’s 110-year history, joining a strong lineage of scholars whose work has shaped the field in enduring ways. I am also scheduled to participate in a presidential session. These are not small moments. They are the kinds of milestones that mark a career.
