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Roots to Routes: A Call Forward is a groundbreaking national conference designed for independent school K-12 educators and administrators, and high school students to engage in bold learning, transformative dialogue, deep reflection on self, school, and society, and skill-building for strategic change. Rooted in the principles of equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging, this intergenerational gathering offers powerful programming and unique experiences that center the voices and well-being of those most often marginalized. Guided by committees of dynamic practitioners from independent schools across the country, Roots to Routes creates space to reimagine education—and move ourselves and our schools forward.
FEATURED SPEAKERS
We are pleased to announce the following featured speakers, with more speakers and presenters to come!
A'Lelia Bundles
Founder, Madam Walker Family Archives
Author: On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker
A’Lelia Bundles is the author of five books including Joy Goddess: A’Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance, a biography of her great-grandmother whose parties, arts patronage and convenings helped shape the social and cultural scene of that era. On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker, a New York Times Notable Book about her entrepreneurial great-great-grandmother is the fact-based biography that was the inspiration for Self Made, a fictional four-part Netflix series starring Octavia Spencer.
Ms. Bundles is a board member of the March On! Festival, the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women at Harvard Radcliffe Institute, BIO (Biographers International) and Columbia Global Reports. She founded the Madam Walker Family Archives, the largest private collection of Walker ephemera, photographs and correspondence.
Ms. Bundles was a network television producer for thirty years at NBC News and then at ABC News, where she was Washington, DC deputy bureau chief and director of talent development. She is a former vice chair of Columbia University’s Board of Trustees and a former chair of the board of the National Archives Foundation. Her articles and essays have been published in the New York Times Book Review, Town & Country, LitHub, TheUndefeated.com, Variety, Ms., O Magazine, Essence and several encyclopedias and books. A recipient of an Emmy and a du Pont Gold Baton for her television news work, she has participated in writing residencies at Yaddo and MacDowell. In 2021 she was named to the Forbes Women 50 Over 50 Impact List.
Dr. Clarence Lusane
Professor, Howard University
Author: The Black History of the White House
Dr. Clarence Lusane is a full Professor, former Chair of Howard University’s Department of Political Science, and current Director of its International Affairs program. He is an author, activist, scholar, lecturer, and journalist. For more than 40 years, he has written about and been active in national and international human rights, anti-racism politics, Diaspora engagements, U.S. foreign policy, democracy building, and social justice issues such as education, criminal justice, and voting rights.
As a scholar, researcher, policy advocate, and activist, he has traveled to over 75 nations. He has conducted field research on human rights and race relations in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, China, Cuba, , Guyana, Guadeloupe, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Korea, Norway, Pakistan, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and Vietnam among others. He was selected by the U.S. State Department and the Council of Europe to be the U.S. “Independent Expert” to the Council’s European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance, a position he held from 2022-2025.
He has taught and been on the faculty at Medgar Evers College, Columbia University and American University, and been a visiting professor and lecturer in Brazil, China, France, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, the UK, and Ukraine. His work has been widely published in the Washington Post, Huffington Post, The Nation, and many other newspapers and journals. He frequently is interviewed and asked to provide commentary on both national radio and TV programs such as MSNBC, CSPAN, Democracy Now!, the Tom Joyner Show, and other popular shows.
His most recent book is Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice and Democracy. His other books include The Black History of the White House, which was presented on two occasions at the White House; Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice: Foreign Policy, Race, and the New American Century; Hitler’s Black Victims: The Experiences of Afro-Germans, Africans, Afro-Europeans and African Americans During the Nazi Era; Race in the Global Era: African Americans at the Millennium; and Pipe Dream Blues: Racism and the War on Drugs among others.
Jasmine Marie
CEO & Founder: black girls breathing
Author: Black Girls Breathing: Heal From Trauma, Combat Chronic Stress and Find Your Freedom
Jasmine Marie is an author, speaker, breathwork practitioner, and CEO & Founder of black girls breathing®. Her debut book Black Girls Breathing: Heal From Trauma, Combat Chronic Stress and Find Your Freedom, published by Balance, an imprint of Hachette Book Group was released on December 17th, 2024. Her work is innovating the wellness, healthcare and research industry by making mental health and stress management services accessible to Black women while filling in the gaps of data and research available on this underserved and underrepresented demographic.
Marie plans to impact 1 Million Black women and girls with her work, with a current impact of over 66,000 Black women to date. She is a serial founder with a past life in global haircare brand management at Unilever and an alum of NYU Stern. The impact and range of her work to date is expansive—ranging from underserved minority communities to stressed-out college students and executives. She’s brought her expertise to elite colleges such as Harvard Business School, Columbia University, Cornell University and her client list includes corporations such as Estée Lauder Companies, Under Armour, Capital One, Ford Motor Company, Facebook, and Twitter. Marie has been featured in Oprah Magazine, Good Morning America, VOGUE, Forbes, Harper’s Baazar, Marie Claire, Essence, Nylon Magazine, Wall Street Journal and Black Enterprise to name a few.
Dr. Erin Corbett
CEO, Second Chance Educational Alliance, Inc.
Editor: The Bloomsbury Handbook of Prison Education
Erin S. Corbett, Ed.D., MBA is a visionary executive leader with over 20 years of experience in higher education, nonprofit management, and prison education reform. As the CEO of Second Chance Educational Alliance, Inc., she has spearheaded strategic initiatives to expand educational opportunities for incarcerated individuals. Her expertise in program management, stakeholder engagement, and policy development has been instrumental in shaping the national conversation on higher education in prison.
Before engaging the field of higher education, Dr. Corbett's professional experiences include working at various independent schools like Westminster School (where she is an alum), Graland Country Day School, Springside Academy (now Springside Chestnut Hill School), The Ethel Walker School, and the Loomis Chaffee School. In addition to her time spent in these schools, she also worked closely with longstanding, familiar enrichment programs, such as The Wight Foundation, Oliver Scholars, and others.
A recognized thought leader, Dr. Corbett has contributed extensively to publications and speaking engagements on social justice, racial equity, and education policy. She holds a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in Leadership from Post University. Passionate about transformative education, she continues to champion access and equity for historically and systemically underserved and under-resourced people and communities.
Stay tuned for more featured speakers and presenters to be announced!