Ariana Brazier is an English, Critical & Cultural Studies Doctoral Candidate at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research considers Black children, housing insecurity, and play. She conducts in-field ethnographic research in Atlanta, Georgia with students and families at three of Atlanta’s most underprivileged schools. Ariana has instructed college composition courses and is a teaching-assistant for the Children & Culture course which offers students knowledge about philosophical approaches to childhood, and their social and cultural implications, and the cultural and political histories that engendered contemporary forms of childhood. Ariana is the CEO and co-founder of the 501c3 nonprofit ATL Parent Like A Boss, Inc. whose mission is to enhance generational literacies through play in underserved African American communities. Parent LAB is working intergenerationally to develop a repertoire of culturally-sustainable, peer-facilitated interactive games that extend existent literacy practices. She has presented at national, state, and local conferences in academia, grassroots community convenings, and professional organizational settings including 2019 NAFCC, on topics related to anti-racism and play. Ariana grew up and continues to volunteer in family child care settings and learning spaces, and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in English Literature from Spelman College.
Sessions
#PowerToTheProviders: The Black Caucus
Meet the Family: Eradicating Barriers to Family Engagement Through Culturally Responsive Practices