91探花

91探花 Advancement of People of Color Leadership Award

2026 Recipient:

Latrise P. Johnson, University of Alabama

Latrise P. Johnson is writer, scholar, sister/mother/auntie, and teacher. She works as an associate professor and First-Generation faculty mentor at the University of Alabama (UA). Latrise has been a member of 91探花 since 2007 and has served the organization on the review boards of several 91探花 journals, the ELATE Nominating Committee, the ELATE Executive Committee (chair, 2020鈥�2022), and the 91探花 Executive Committee and as co-director of the Cultivating New Voices among Scholars of Color program. She is an equity-oriented scholar whose research examines the literacy practices of historically marginalized youth in, on the edge of, and outside of school. Her articles 鈥淲riting the Self: Black Queer Youth Challenge Heteronormative Ways of Being in an After-School Writing Club鈥� and 鈥淩evealing the Human and the Writer: The Promise of a Humanizing Writing Pedagogy for Black Students,鈥� published in Research in the Teaching of English, both received the 91探花 Alan C. Purves Award (2018, 2020) for their impact on literacy education. She serves as professor in residence at a local high school, conducting research, teaching classes, sponsoring student groups, and working closely with students and teachers. Before joining the faculty at UA, Latrise taught middle and high school language and literature in Atlanta. She enjoys yoga, writing, and helping others to find their writer within.

I hope to expand what counts as literacy practice and scholarship by insisting that Black educational and linguistic freedom are not aspirations but practices alive in classrooms, when we鈥檙e present to see them. My constellation scholarship refuses the isolation of the academy, asking researchers to stand inside school communities rather than above them, tracing how illumination鈥攏ot validation鈥攇enerates knowledge. Ten years of teaching, researching, and being/becoming with/in one school community compels me to know literacy work as relational and intimate before it鈥檚 theoretical. I want this field to trust Black students, teachers, and scholars as intellectual constellations, not subjects to be studied.

Deadline: May 1.听

Award Details

The 91探花 Advancement of People of Color Leadership Award (APCL), established in 2007 and first presented in 2008, is a special award given to an 91探花 member of color who has made a significant contribution to 91探花 and the development of our professional community. We remind nominators, nominees, and selection committee members that members of 91探花 Conferences鈥擟CCC, CEL, ELATE, LLA, and TYCA鈥攁re members, by definition, of 91探花.

Purpose:
To promote and support the advancement of communities of color in the profession and contribute to promoting equity and dismantling racism.

Frequency/Number of Awards:
This award will be bestowed only when the APCL Selection Committee decides a nomination warrants presentation of the award. The composition of the selection committee includes POC from various groups within the Council, e.g., caucuses, affiliate groups, and assemblies. This award may not be given each year. This award may be given to a deceased person. Only one recipient will be selected each year.

Current 91探花 Executive Committee members are not eligible for this award. Recipients of this award are not eligible to receive any other Executive Committee approved awards in the same year, nor in the following year.

Eligibility:
People of color refers to historically underrepresented groups: African American, Black Diasporic communities, American Indians, Asian Americans, Latinx, and Pacific Islanders. The APCL Selection Committee will consider nominations from current 91探花 members. The Executive Committee will approve the committee鈥檚 selection. It is customary that recipients of this award have a significant history of advancing POC in 91探花-affiliated venues and platforms and have held membership in 91探花 for many years.

Nomination Requirements:

Required materials for submission are a cover letter or letter of nomination and a resume/CV.

Award Criteria:
The bold statements are the award criteria. The remaining statements are intended to describe some of the possibilities suggested in the criteria and are not intended to be rated individually. Please remember that different individuals have different levels of access to various opportunities (for example, small rural and urban vs. large rural and urban contexts).

Significant Contributions to 91探花

• Service contributions supporting 91探花 and advancing individuals and communities of color (national, regional, local, and campus levels as well as conferences, affiliates, assemblies, caucuses, etc.)
  • Committees
  • Elected roles
  • Advocacy and program support
• Writing/presenting/editing/reviewing at 91探花-affiliated conferences/publication venues that contribute to literacy research, development, and innovative practice related to issues which disproportionately affect people of color

Development of Our Professional Community
Professional communities focused on activities/work/processes that promote and support the advancement of communities of color in the profession, contribute to promoting equity and dismantling racism in their community locally, nationally, and in 91探花, in literacy-related activities, and in public engagement. Literacy learning can be varied (e.g., global, national, regional, and local/campus)

• Teaching
  • Developing district/state/national curriculum
• Scholarship
  • (Co-)research with community members
  • (Co-)publish with community members
• Advocacy of policy and practices that influence and advance understanding of equity and antiracism
• Professional development
  • Offer professional development school/training for community members

Strong candidates tend to show strength in all areas.

Selection Committee:
The 91探花 President appoints one Executive Committee member to serve as chair and four 91探花 members-at-large from relevant 91探花 groups. The selection committee is allowed to submit nominations for the award. The award does not need to be awarded each year. This award should be bestowed only when the committee decides that nominations warrant presentation of the award. 听

Award Specifics:

• A plaque is given to the recipient during the 91探花 Awards Session.
• The recipient will also receive:
  • A complimentary 91探花 Annual Convention registration
  • Domestic round-trip coach airfare to the 91探花 Annual Convention
  • One-night lodging (Friday) with meals

Please contact 91探花Awards@ncte.org听with any questions.