Rewriting the Narrative at AOCC 2026

The first weekend of March brought learning, love, and persistence to Appian Way as the Harvard Graduate School of Education hosted the 24th annual Alumni of Color Conference (AOCC).

This year’s theme, “Rewriting the Narrative: Persistence as Innovation,” was a call to reimagine persistence not as endurance alone, but as a creative force driving meaningful transformation in the field of education.

Often described by attendees as a homecoming, AOCC 2026 featured hug-filled reunions and fit checks, sessions with bold visions for the future of education, and a DJ keeping the energy up before keynote speeches in Askwith Hall.

“I hope these two days help you remember why you loved this institution,” said Dean Nonie Lesaux in a prerecorded address. “And that you come away feeling reenergized and rededicated to changing the world through education.”

Speaking on this year’s theme, Lesaux noted that persistence is not an inherent trait in learners, but an important one in every educational journey.

“The good news is that persistence is a skill that can be learned and developed. A muscle, so to speak,” said Lesaux. “And that’s why I think you’re exactly right to remember that persistence is about not just endurance, but about learned actions and strategies that can empower individuals and groups to create better outcomes.”

Friday’s keynote address was a dialogue between Florida International University professor Lisa Delpit, Ed.M.'80, Ed.D.'84, and Chris Emdin, a professor of science education at Columbia University’s Teacher’s College. Delpit and Emdin, whose dialogues were the basis for a new book — The Sacred Art of Teaching — brought an impassioned and warm back and forth to the Askwith Hall stage in Longfellow Hall.

Evoking themes of community, communication, and the power of teaching, Emdin and Delpit advocated for finding purpose and medicine in the pursuit of academic excellence for yourself and others in the classroom.

“This whole notion of communication, I believe, is not only built for political action, but also for our students in education,” said Delpit, a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow. “They’re the ones who we have to push to talk to each other. About math problems, about social problems, about whatever. That is where genius comes: from the collective mind of whoever might be in front of us.”

Emdin spoke passionately about his favorite teaching moments, which come from a “willingness to give our full selves” to learners and let them carry that lesson forward to others.

“In this room today, somebody in here has received what they need,” said Emdin. “And they will carry with it what they will and then offer it to somebody else. A child in the classroom, a colleague on the train. And that’s how the reciprocity of teaching occurs. But somebody has to set that domino in motion, and I always choose to try my best to be it.”

Saturday’s events were anchored by a keynote speech featuring another duo, Drs. Peter and Didi Watts, who founded the Watts of Power Foundation, which aims to create a diverse pipeline of teachers from historically marginalized backgrounds in the Los Angeles area.

This year’s AOCC also marked a first for the conference — a “satellite site” event in Atlanta, Georgia, which takes place on March 14 and is coordinated by AOCC Online Student Liaison Taylor Goyette-Frechette.