Date of Graduation

Summer 8-31-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College/School

School of Education

Department

International and Multicultural Education

Program

International & Multicultural Education EdD

First Advisor

Dr. Susan R. Katz

Second Advisor

Dr. Shabnam Koirala-Azad

Third Advisor

Dr. David Philoxene

Abstract

Oakland, California, is a unique site of residents who have historically questioned the status quo and are currently continuing that legacy by creating spatial justice and repair in the midst of anti-Blackness and the afterlife of racial segregation. This dissertation spotlights a portrait of Oakland, California, that uplifts the lived experiences of folks who are using a ‘radical imagination’ to build ‘freedom as a place.’ This qualitative study aims to extend the literature of reparative spatial justice in education by sharing the nuances of a particular radical imagination rooted in freedom that one can feel in Oakland. Using portraiture methodology, I conducted semi-structured interviews with six participants, whom I chose based on their enduring impact in shaping the landscape, in and with their community, away from carceral logics, and towards reparative justice. The collected data of freedom dreams illuminated four emergent themes: remembering spirit, surviving to thriving, freedom as a place, and embodying freedom across generations. The findings revealed the understanding that freedom is not somewhere we are just going to arrive at magically; rather we can use our power and freedom dreams to build it bit-by-bit even in the midst of ‘global racial empire.’

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