Pamela Kennebrew
Faculty, Education Program
Residency Site: Seattle WA
Biography
Pamela Kennebrew is a scholar activist. In addition to Goddard, she is an adjunct professor at Lincoln University and teaches “behind the wall” in Philadelphia area prisons. She has over 15 years experience in the non-profit sector and higher education. An expert in higher education in prison, she has spoken on this issue throughout the United States. Dr. Kennebrew has been engaged in the efforts to improve the state of prison education. She is the Founder and President of the Black Women’s Center for Carceral Empowerment. The organization’s mission is to expand the conversation regarding mass criminalization. The Center is committed to the restoration of economic, educational and political rights of those whose lives have been adversely impacted by a criminal conviction and matches formerly incarcerated women with leaders in education, politics and entrepreneurship. She is a transformational coach and has developed a theory of mindfulness for women of color, Mindful Strength Consciousness ™, and offers workshops on justice and inclusion through her company, Kennebrew Integrated Success Seminars.
Education
EdD in Educational Leadership and Change, Fielding Graduate University
MHS in Human Services with Counseling Concentration, Lincoln University
BA in Natural Science/Mathematics, Thomas Edison University
Areas of Expertise
As a scholar/activist my research focuses on how the intersection of race, sex, gender and class impact economic security and, most recently, mass incarceration.
Personal Statement
Guiding Principles: Co-constructed participatory knowledge, shared wisdom, life-long learning and commitment to community.
As an educator, I believe in the power of transformative knowledge within the academy and in the community. In the classroom I seek to create a learning-centered space based on respect for others, respect for knowledge and mutual responsibility. I seek to make the connection between sociological principles, real life experiences and the larger social structures. In the community, I seek to re-create the same learning-centered spaces where all members of the community outside of the academy can gain the tools needed to make effective change in their communities.
I am the co-founder of ‘Yan-Taru University© “those who gather together in sisterhood emancipatory and liberatory knowledge.” ‘Yan-Turu University is a community university that builds collective capacity for people to create more just communities. ‘Yan-Taru University© is committed to transforming communities through education for critical consciousness. Working within the theoretical paradigm that women possess the skills and knowledge to make a better way for themselves and their community, what is sometimes missing are the tools needed to do so. As an educator, I believe in the power of transformative knowledge within the academy and in the community. In the classroom I seek to create a learning-centered space based on respect for others, respect for knowledge and mutual responsibility. I seek to make the connection between sociological principles, real life experiences and the larger social structures. In the community, I seek to re-create the same learning-centered spaces where all members of the community outside of the academy can gain the tools needed to make effective change in their communities.
Teaching Philosophy
My commitment to social justice and change through education informs my overall teaching philosophy. I imagine the classroom as a liberatory space that transforms the students’ and instructor’s relationship to knowledge. Instead of treating students as passive recipients of knowledge, I regard them as capable of making valuable contributions to the learning process. I facilitate a student-centered dynamic that creatively connects students’ prior information and experiences to sociological frameworks. Making knowledge relevant to students’ lives enables them to become lifelong critical thinkers and public sociologists, actively engaged with their social worlds.
