We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom

Love is an American scholar and activist who specializes in educational theory, practice, and policy. Her research, teaching, and activism focus on the intersection of race, abolition, and Black joy in the American educational system. Love is the Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Education at the University of Georgia. She received her M.Ed. from the University of Pittsburgh in 2002 and her PhD in Educational Policy Studies from Georgia State University in 2008. She has been a student, a public-school teacher, a parent, and a board member of a charter school. Her educational background, combined with her professional and personal experiences, give her unique insight into the American educational system and the need for abolitionist education.

Love spent her formative years in Rochester, NY, a tight-knit community that protected her because of her basketball talent. People in Rochester provided homeplaces for Love, including her family, teachers, coaches, recreational center leaders, and leaders of FIST, a youth empowerment and activism program. Her childhood experiences inform her approach to education, which emphasizes community, civic engagement, homeplace, equity, and the physical and emotional wellbeing of children of color. Love’s pioneering work in abolitionist education earned her several awards and honors.