Uploaded March 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Patrick Sylvain, Jalene Tamerat, and Marie Lily Cerat with Danielle McKoy: Immigration, Race, and Identity in the Classroom
Students today face a barrage of stressors that impact every corner of their lives, from academic and social stress to family dynamics and personal trauma. The added layers of non-inclusive school environments, along with the unique challenges of immigrant and first-generation students, only contribute to students’ stress and anxiety.
In their new book, Education Across Borders, educators Patrick Sylvain, Jalene Tamerat, and Marie Lily Cerat contend that the practices and values in the U.S. educational system contribute to stress and put many children and families at a disadvantage — in particular, those with diversity in language, culture, and socioeconomic status. With a focus on Haitian and Dominican students in the U.S., the authors draw on their experiences to address racial inequities in the classroom and share strategies that can create an inclusive classroom environment. Together, they explore how language policies and social justice intersect, how educators can use culturally-relevant teaching to enrich curriculum, and how teachers can support the needs of immigrant and first-generation students in the classroom.
Patrick Sylvain is a Haitian-American writer, essayist and poet, and instructor of Haitian language and culture at Brown University’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. He has been published in several anthologies, magazines, and reviews, including African American Review, Agni, American Poetry Review, Callaloo, Crab Orchard Review, Haitian Times, and Ploughshares.
Jalene Tamerat is a leader in K–12 education whose work focuses on the preparation of teachers who are able to respond to the instructional and civic needs of diverse urban youth. She began her career in education in 2003 as a classroom teacher in the Boston Public Schools and has most recently served as the dean of a Boston-area residency and master’s program for aspiring teachers.
Marie Lily Cerat is Associate Director of the CUNY Haitian Studies Institute at Brooklyn College and teaches with Africana Studies Department. Prior to her career in higher education, Dr. Cerat served as a Bilingual Haitian Creole educator with the New York City Department of Education and a Resource Specialist with the Haitian Bilingual/ESL Technical Assistance Center (HABETAC) of the New York State Education Department Office of Bilingual Education. She is the co-founder of Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees, which was established in 1992 to provide ESL and adult literacy instruction to Haitian immigrants and refugees.
Danielle McKoy is a passionate activist in the national prison reform and racial school integration movements, as well as a lifelong educator. From battling homelessness to excelling at Princeton University, she leverages her exceptional personal story and expertise in advocacy, writing, and leadership development to lead equity movements on a local, national, and global scale. She is a cofounder of New York City’s inaugural Alliance for School Integration & Desegregation.
townhallseattle.org/event/patrick-sylvain-and-jalene-tamerat
Presented by Town Hall Seattle.
Patrick Sylvain, Jalene Tamerat, and Marie Lily Cerat with Danielle McKoy: Immigration, Race, and Identity in the Classroom
Students today face a barrage of stressors that impact every corner of their lives, from academic and social stress to family dynamics and personal trauma. The added layers of non-inclusive school environments, along with the unique challenges of immigrant and first-generation students, only contribute to students’ stress and anxiety.
In their new book, Education Across Borders, educators Patrick Sylvain, Jalene Tamerat, and Marie Lily Cerat contend that the practices and values in the U.S. educational system contribute to stress and put many children and families at a disadvantage — in particular, those with diversity in language, culture, and socioeconomic status. With a focus on Haitian and Dominican students in the U.S., the authors draw on their experiences to address racial inequities in the classroom and share strategies that can create an inclusive classroom environment. Together, they explore how language policies and social justice intersect, how educators can use culturally-relevant teaching to enrich curriculum, and how teachers can support the needs of immigrant and first-generation students in the classroom.
Patrick Sylvain is a Haitian-American writer, essayist and poet, and instructor of Haitian language and culture at Brown University’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. He has been published in several anthologies, magazines, and reviews, including African American Review, Agni, American Poetry Review, Callaloo, Crab Orchard Review, Haitian Times, and Ploughshares.
Jalene Tamerat is a leader in K–12 education whose work focuses on the preparation of teachers who are able to respond to the instructional and civic needs of diverse urban youth. She began her career in education in 2003 as a classroom teacher in the Boston Public Schools and has most recently served as the dean of a Boston-area residency and master’s program for aspiring teachers.
Marie Lily Cerat is Associate Director of the CUNY Haitian Studies Institute at Brooklyn College and teaches with Africana Studies Department. Prior to her career in higher education, Dr. Cerat served as a Bilingual Haitian Creole educator with the New York City Department of Education and a Resource Specialist with the Haitian Bilingual/ESL Technical Assistance Center (HABETAC) of the New York State Education Department Office of Bilingual Education. She is the co-founder of Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees, which was established in 1992 to provide ESL and adult literacy instruction to Haitian immigrants and refugees.
Danielle McKoy is a passionate activist in the national prison reform and racial school integration movements, as well as a lifelong educator. From battling homelessness to excelling at Princeton University, she leverages her exceptional personal story and expertise in advocacy, writing, and leadership development to lead equity movements on a local, national, and global scale. She is a cofounder of New York City’s inaugural Alliance for School Integration & Desegregation.
townhallseattle.org/event/patrick-sylvain-and-jalene-tamerat
Presented by Town Hall Seattle.
