During a recent appearance at the 2016 World Forum for Democracy, UNC-Chapel Hill graduate and Xi Gamma Alum Bro. Donovan Livingston spoke about democracy in the classroom during his “Countdown to Lift Off: Launching toward Democracy in Education” presentation. Check it out.
About Bro. Livingston
Donovan Livingston is an award-winning educator, spoken word poet, and public speaker. In 2016, his Harvard Graduate School of Education convocation address “Lift Off” went viral, reaching over thirteen million views and prompting Hillary Clinton to praise, “It’s young graduates like [Livingston] who make it clear that America’s best days are still ahead.” Since his pivotal speech, Livingston has been featured on CNN, NPR, BBC, Good Morning America, and in news outlets across Europe, Australia, India, and South Africa. His convocation address will be published as a book by Spiegel & Grau in 2017.
A believer in the enormous opportunities that education provides, Livingston inspires students, educators, and communities with his conviction that every child has the right to “lift off” and achieve their dreams. Drawing on personal experiences as well as scholarship, Livingston examines the legacy of social inequalities in America’s school system and encourages educational reform as a means to greater change. An impassioned and dynamic speaker, he incorporates creative elements into his lectures such as spoken word poetry and audience collaboration.
Livingston has earned master’s degrees from Columbia University and Harvard University, and is now a doctoral candidate at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. He lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
About the World Forum for Democracy
The 2016 World Forum for Democracy focuses on the relationship between education and democracy. Education is central to democratic societies. Schools, universities, civil society organizations and other learning institutions should encourage the acquisition and practice of values and skills which are essential for democracy. The World Forum for Democracy 2016 focuses on how education can help bridge the social divide and become a real asset for our diverse democracies.