The Suzanne and John Pratt Lecture Series is back.
Ivy Street is thrilled to welcome Lydia X.Z. Brown, for the next Suzanne and John Pratt Lecture Series on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at WBUR CitySpace, 890 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, starting at 5:30 p.m. Join us for this FREE event where Lydia X. Z. Brown will present on Disability Justice Informing Communities of Practice. The Obama Administration honored Lydia as a Champion of Change for embodying the next generation of leadership within the disability community.
Lydia X.Z. Brown (they/them/theirs/themself or no pronouns) is a writer, public speaker, educator, trainer, consultant, advocate, community organizer, community builder, activist, scholar, and attorney. Their work focuses on addressing and ending interpersonal and state violence targeting disabled people, and they actively engage with issues at the intersections of disability, queerness, race, gender, class, and nation and migration.
Lydia leads The Autistic People of Color Fund. They also hold positions at Georgetown University and American University, contributing to Disability Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, and Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies. In addition, Lydia serves as the Director of Public Policy at the National Disability Institute.
In their own words, they are committed to: “Building and sustaining love, liberation, and justice.” For more detailed information about Lydia and their work, you can visit their official website here.
“I believe that dreaming and building the future we want are just as essential to social justice as calling out and fighting against harms.” –Lydia X.Z. Brown
In preparation for Lydia’s visit, our students, families, and staff will engage in learning and discussions related to disability justice and anti-ableism.
We welcome and strongly encourage all who are able to come in person. However, for those for whom in-person attendance is not feasible or accessible, we are also providing web access. We also recognize that day of illnesses, childcare issues, and more may prevent some from attending in person.
In 2022, the Suzanne and John Pratt Lecture featured Dr. Temple Grandin, Ph.D. Check it out here:
About the Suzanne and John Pratt Lecture
The Suzanne and John Pratt Lecture is dedicated to facilitating the impact of research on practices at the Ivy Street School in order to improve student outcomes. John Pratt served as Associate Director of the Whitehead Institute for 25 years. He was also a member of the MAB Board of Directors and cared deeply about the work that MAB and Ivy Street School do to help young people with special needs develop the skills they need to transition into successful lives as adults. Suzanne Pratt is a social worker, mother to 2, grandmother to 4, and loving wife to John until his death in 2012. Since then Suzanne Pratt has played a significant role in launching and sustaining this lecture series. John would be delighted to have this lecture series as part of his legacy.