J.B. Mayo receives social justice award
J.B. Mayo, Jr., assistant professor in social studies education (Curriculum and Instruction), was recently awarded the Kipchoge Neftali Kirkland Social Justice Award at the annual meeting of the College University Faculty Assembly (CUFA) of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). Mayo was recognized for his conference paper entitled “Native Americans’ Acceptance of Diversity: Lessons Learned from the Two Spirit Tradition.” In this paper, Mayo calls upon social studies educators and K-12 teachers to encourage more inclusive perspectives/conversations on gender expression, and greater understanding of gender variance among their students. This more nuanced form of social learning may impact a variety of present-day social ills, including the incidence of teen suicide caused by homophobia.