ParKer Bryant, Syracuse University, Named May 2024 Holmes Scholar of the Month
By Amelia Q. Rivera, Holmes Council Vice President, North Carolina State University
ParKer Bryant, a third-year Ph.D. student in literacy education at Syracuse University, is the Holmes Scholar of the Month for May. Bryant’s research explores the intersections of imagination, creativity, language, and literacy – with a particular focus on developing critical literacy curricula and instruction for Black youth.
Bryant’s path to becoming a literacy researcher and educator was shaped by their upbringing in a household that prioritized education, creativity, and storytelling. “Books, music, movies, and imaginative play flowed in quantity in my mother’s home,” they reflect. “This led to my relationship with understanding knowledge, activating my imagination, and co-creating narratives that were transferable to real-world understandings.”
After over a decade as a public school language arts teacher, Bryant recognized the “immense benefits of an arts-based language arts curriculum” in cultivating critical thinking, analysis, and creativity among students. Their research now explores how creative literacy practices like filmmaking can nurture Black youths’ imagination and capacity to “unhobble” limiting narratives about their futures.
In addition to their scholarly work, Bryant has a strong commitment to engaged pedagogy and community education. They currently serve as an instructor for literacy education courses at Syracuse University, teaching preservice teachers to develop anti-racist, culturally relevant curricula. Bryant serves as a community educator and also co-leads the summer literacy programs for Black and brown high school students through the Charles Hayden Foundation.
Bryant’s work also extends into developing training curricula to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in economic development across New York State. As a trailblazing educator, Bryant’s work exemplifies a lifelong commitment to uplifting communities through rigorous, culturally grounded scholarship and transformative literacy education.
Bryant’s innovative research and teaching have earned recognition through numerous prestigious fellowships and awards. Most recently, presenting their work exploring connections between AI systems and education, as a 2022-2024 Lender Center for Social Justice Student Fellow. Other 2024 honors include a Spector/Warren Human Rights Fellowship through Syracuse University School of Education.
These accomplishments reflect their holistic vision as a scholar-activist working across multiple spheres to create more just, ethical, and imaginative futures.
“As a southern-born Black queer educator, getting a good education serves as principle, binding agreement, and what makes your momma proud,” Bryant states. Their trailblazing work exemplifies this lifelong commitment to uplifting communities through rigorous, culturally grounded scholarship and transformative literacy education.
Tags: diversity, equity, Holmes, inclusion
