Addison Lecture

About the Lecture

The Dr. Kenneth N. Addison Lecture for Multicultural Education and Social Justice is an annual event that the Educational Foundations program spearheads, along with the support of other programs, departments, and units throughout the University to celebrate, and grapple with, the intersections of cultural pluralism, multicultural education, social justice, advocacy and activism. Issues addressed during the Addison lectures seek to determine and understand how historical, philosophical, psychological, sociological and legal issues have shaped the past and informed current and future practices as they relate to educating and empowering students, families and communities.

This event is named after Professor Emeritus Dr. Kenneth Addison, who after 30 years of service to the Northeastern Illinois University community retired from being a core faculty member in the Department of Educational Inquiry and Curriculum Studies and the African and African American Studies program.

Addison developed and taught courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels in areas such as African and African American studies, cultural pluralism, the history and philosophy of education, organizational and educational leadership, and psychology. Beyond his service to the University, he has provided psychotherapy, served as a corporate consultant and been involved with community organizing and development, and he has received various recognitions and awards from a range of community, educational and corporate organizations.