Amara Pérez, Ph.D., is a long-time social justice educator, community organizer, and participatory action researcher. For more than 25 years her work with communities and students of color has been informed by popular education, critical theories, and participatory action research. Drawing from her research on critical race theory, spatial theory, and the hidden curriculum, Pérez developed a critical race spatial lens (CRSL) as a framework to examine and transform the role of planning, design, and space in normalizing racial and other social inequities. For the last five years, she has partnered with educational institutions
and architecture firms to introduce and use CRSL as an equity approach to planning and design projects. Her professional experience advancing equity strategies within education combined with her community–based experience working for local social change, enables her to work closely with students, educational leaders, and the design community to bridge the
theory/practice “divide.”