Catalizing Change Through Critical Thinking and Community Impact
Have you ever come across a burning question or problem that you have struggled to crack the code on? Do you have unanswered questions about the world, or society, or justice? Dr. Kevin Lawrence Henry Jr. lives with a set of his own burning questions related to social justice and democracy as he shines light on truth and knowledge as a professor and community leader. Dr. Henry’s leadership started as a kid when he was often told, by peers and adults alike, that he was a natural born leader. Some of his friends would even tell him that he would become the president one day, and his high school nick name is affectionately, “senator.” Now, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin Madison and the President of the Lotus foundation, Dr. Henry catalyzes change by championing critical thinking and community impact through his work on racial justice, education policy, and systems level leadership.
Dr. Henry’s story, like many changemakers, has had exciting triumphs alongside life’s challenges. One defining challenge in his life occurred in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina struck Southeastern Louisiana and delivered Dr. Henry and his family a devastating blow alongside hundreds of thousands of New Orleans and surrounding areas’ residents. This devastating disaster caused Dr. Henry and his family relocated in Houston, Texas, but his heart longed to be back in New Orleans, so when given the opportunity to return, he did. However, he did not return as the high school student who evacuated; he returned as a torch and a flame for the culture and community he felt called to help rebuild. He’s never let that flame go out.
After graduating high school, Dr. Henry attended Tulane University in New Orleans where he was a fierce advocate and organizer for worker’s rights. As a student, he realized food service workers were not receiving the labor rights they deserved. Many of those workers who were still impacted by Hurricane Katrina and struggling to keep bread on the table and were being pushed farther into the margins by the institution. He led protests and demonstrations for the rights of the workers he knew deserved more than what the system was giving them. His convictions nearly cost him his ability to graduate, yet his efforts did not go entirely unnoticed as he was awarded the Tulane 34 award, a prestigious award given to only 34 graduating students each year. After graduating Tulane, he would go on to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to study under Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings to do “research for the social good.” The challenges of New Orleans education reform with the expansion of charter schools became the launch pad for Dr. Henry’s research platform for political action and social change as a nationally lauded scholar of education policy.
In addition to teaching graduate students as an associate professor in the University of Wisconsin Madison’s School of Education’s Education’s Policy and Leadership Analysis Department, Dr. Henry has served as a faculty consultant, community partner, and funder with the Changemaker Summer Leadership program as President of the Lotus Foundation. This summer he joined the program’s teaching team where he facilitated a workshop aimed at helping Changemakers understand the danger of a single narrative by training them on how to ask deep questions and do quality research. One of the key components of Dr. Henry’s talk was his example of the curb effect. In this example he used ADA compliance and sidewalks to show how everyone can reap the rewards when one group’s issues are addressed. His example about sidewalk ramps illuminated that while the ramps are designed for people in wheelchairs to get up onto the sidewalk, they also benefit those rolling a cart with heavy things, prevent children from tripping over the curb, and provide a host of additional societal benefits. He showed Changemakers that the future innovations they produce have the potential to help many more people than they may originally intend and encouraged student interns to follow their passions, convictions, and creativity.
Through his foundation, Dr. Henry plans to build platforms that focus on adult political education and civic engagement in addition to supporting the Changemaker student initiative. He believes the time is now to ensure we are all prepared to be good citizens and good neighbors. He urges Changemakers not to be afraid to ask questions and to speak out against injustices in life when they notice them. Dr. Henry believes reading and research are the foundation to learning anything, including how to ask those big questions that lead to the innovations that deliver a big impact. He’s a changemaker not only because he speaks truth to power, but because he also believes that the power belongs to the people.
