Black & Neurodivergent: Advocating While Black is a timely intergenerational conversation rooted in the lived experiences of Black parents navigating special education systems on behalf of their neurodivergent children.

Hosted by Advocating 4 Kids Inc., in partnership with Howard University and the Dignity in Schools Campaign, this webinar marks the public release of findings from Advocating While Black: Black Parents’ Experiences with Special Education in Virginia—a study grounded in interviews with Black families advocating within public school systems under IDEA.

This conversation brings together Cheryl Poe and Tribuana Jones alongside parent advocates Mr. Justin Goins, Mrs. Crystal Goins, and Ms. Tiffany Smith to reflect across generations on what advocacy has required, what it has cost, and what it must become. Panelists will speak candidly about resistance, systems navigation, and the ongoing work of building school environments that protect the dignity, humanity, and educational rights of Black, neurodivergent students and their families.

This space is for families, parents, educators, advocates, and organizers who understand that special education is not just a service—it is a civil right, and advocacy is often a necessity, not a choice.

We invite you to join us for a grounded, honest, and necessary conversation—one that centers Black parents’ voices and insists on school systems worthy of the children they serve.