When I first learned about the opportunity to engage in Open Pedagogy (OP) work as part of the classes I teach, I was very intrigued but also had many questions. While I had heard about OP and its benefits, my knowledge was limited. However, my desire to try something new that would benefit students was more than enough reason for me challenge myself in learning and engaging in another area of work. When thinking about OP in relation to my Critical Race Theory (CRT) class, attacks on the movement, and the sociopolitical climate we are in as a nation, I knew it was necessary to do this work.

Although early in my faculty career, I knew that I wanted to experiment with a “different” kind assignment but was unsure about how to approach this or what that could even look like. In higher education, we often engage in traditional types of assignments, especially for the final (e.g., long research papers, literature reviews, etc.). When reading about the Course Material Fellowship Program, it felt right and appropriate for me to inquire more about it. As a result, I contacted Sarah Hare. She was very informative and encouraging with the rough ideas that I had in terms of possibilities for OP projects and shared useful resources.

To carry out this project, both Sarah Hare and Willa Tavernier have been instrumental. I have been working closely with Willa, the main point of contact related to this undertaking, over the last year and she has been there for guidance, to answer any questions, work through hiccups, and as an instructor on open pedagogy. Once the Spring semester was underway, Willa attended my CRT class to meet with students and answer any questions they had. At the same time, Sarah followed up with another class visit that was primarily devoted to working through Pressbooks. It is important for me to recognize the time and effort that both Sarah and Willa have put into making this reader possible.

In addition, I would like to thank the students in my Critical Race Theory in Education class during the Spring 2023 semester (the seven authors for this reader). They have been a great group. For some of them, this was their first time learning about CRT beyond mainstream notions. Because this was my first time doing an assignment like this one, I appreciate their patience in working through the reader as a collective.

Lastly, I would like to thank Naz Pantaloni for his legal advice on carrying out this project.

This project would not have been possible without the individuals listed above.