COMMITTEE ON RACE AND ETHNICITY (CORE)

Current Committee Members:

• Alex Nikolaides (Chair) (2026)
• Rachel Wahl (2027)
• Sheron Fraser-Burgess (2027)
• Beth Johnson (2027)
• Naomi Simmons-Thorne (2028)
  

past Committee chairs:

Tomas Rocha, Canute Thompson, Sheron Fraser-Burgess, Larry Blum, Barbara Applebaum, Ron Glass, Kal Alston, Audrey Thompson, Michele Moses, Winston Thompson, Shilpi Sinha

Purpose of the Committee:

As stated in the PES by-laws, the purpose of the Committee on Race and Ethnicity is to “promote and support the study of race and ethnicity in philosophy of education.”

Structure of the Committee:

The committee consists of five members who are appointed by the incoming President. The goal is for each member to serve a term of three consecutive years to preserve institutional memory and ensure continuity of committee work. As much as possible, terms should be staggered to avoid a disruptive turnover in any given year. The committee’s Chair is appointed by the President in consultation with the committee members. The Chair is a two-year appointment. Chairs and committee members (especially new members) should consult the Committee on Race and Ethnicity Job Manual for more detailed guidelines on committee member roles and responsibilities.

Work of the committee:

A.     Annual Breakfast Meeting. CORE hosts an open breakfast meeting at the annual PES Conference. Official committee business is sometimes discussed, but it is more of a social gathering and anyone interested in CORE activities (or in joining CORE as an official member) can attend.

B.     **Annual Conference Session. CORE organizes and sponsors a standing session slot on the annual PES Conference program. As part of the annual PES conference submission process, anyone in PES, including CORE members, can voluntarily tick a box indicating they would like their proposal to be considered as a candidate for the CORE-sponsored session slot. (Examples include sessions organized around a central topic or question, such as ‘author-meets-critics’ sessions, panels, interviews, guest speakers, or other creative sessions. Those submitting individual papers may also tick the box if they are open to the possibility of their paper being included as part of a panel.) Proposals that are not selected by CORE to be part of the CORE-sponsored session will still be considered for a regular slot by the program committee as part of the normal evaluation process.

C.     Annual Study Group. Starting in 2025, CORE will host an annual summer study of a single paper or chapter within philosophy and/or the philosophy of education that advances the study of race and ethnicity vis-à-vis education. CORE will announce its selection in late-Spring of each year, via the PES Newsletter, and host a 1–2 hour discussion of the work at some point during the Summer. (The paper/chapter does not need to be authored by a PES member.)

D.     Scholarship on Race and Ethnicity Database. Since 2021, CORE has assumed responsibility for maintaining a database cataloging philosophy of education scholarship on race and ethnicity. This database includes full citations and abstracts for all the scholarship included (articles, book chapters, and books) as well as links to the publishers’ websites where readers can access the full texts (access to full texts in most cases requires a personal or library subscription). Instructions for using the database are included on the homepage. See it here: Scholarship on Race and Ethnicity. (Updates are made annually over the summer. Please submit update requests by June 1.)

E.     Representation & Community-Building. CORE reports on its work and activities at the annual PES Business Meeting. It represents the committee’s interests to the PES Executive Committee and other groups and venues as required. It serves as a space where friends, colleagues, and scholars can find others who are interested in the study of race and ethnicity in philosophy of education. CORE has also historically served as a vehicle for discussing and sharing concerns about racial and ethnic representation within PES and the philosophy of education more broadly.

** Item (B) will be formally voted on during the 2025 PES Conference Business Meeting.

Committee on Race and Ethnicity Job Manual