Join the Department of African American Studies for our ongoing series, In Dialogue, where we bring undergraduates, graduates, faculty, and community members together in conversations to building community and support our studies.
Jada Young will be giving a research talk entitled “Teachers’ Visions of Liberatory Learning for Incarcerated Black Girls” on Wednesday, April 22nd from 12-1pm in Helen C. White #4207 (Bunge Room).
Jada Young (she/her) is a first-year M.A. student in African American Studies and Ph.D. student in Educational Policy Studies at UW-Madison. She holds a M.A. in Educational Studies with a concentration in Educational Equity, Justice, and Social Transformation from the University of Michigan, where she was awarded the Rackham Merit Fellowship. Additionally, Jada is a proud PEOPLE Scholar alumna of UW-Madison and has a B.S. in Education Studies and a certificate in African American Studies. She is a budding Black Education Studies and Black Girlhood Scholar who explores the criminalization of Black girls in carceral schooling. Jada follows the footsteps of The SoulFolk Collective’s first lab manager—Ziyen Curtis—and assumes the role January 1, 2026. She’s committed to creating liberatory educational spaces for Black youth, and looks forward to launching the SoulFolk Saturday School in Spring 2027. Outside of academia, you can find Jada traveling, volunteering, or spending time with her loved ones and puppy!