Student Solidarity as Praxis: Popular Education in Action with Tony Nelson

In this episode of Social Justice Origin Stories, Relando is joined by Tony Nelson, who explores his development from his rural Michigan upbringing to becoming an active participant in progressive movements and education. Tony revisits the significance of his time as an undergraduate student at Grand Valley State University, recalling how attending a campus presentation by Jane Elliott served as a starting point for his emerging consciousness and involvement as a student on campus. Tony also reflects on his years of work at the intersections of social justice, higher education, and the study abroad field, and his regular disappointment in top-down faculty and administrator relationship dynamics with students as an important turning point in his development, motivating him to think of ways he could influence educators and administrators to relate to students differently.Tony shares that traditional education models are not liberating and don't do a good job of creating critical consciousness, and Popular Education provides many tools for rethinking how we approach teaching and learning.🔔 If you haven't already...SUBSCRIBE to Social Justice Origin Stories on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@socialjusticeoriginstories?sub_confirmation=1❤️ SUPPORT THE PROJECT Support this work by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/SocialJusticeOriginStories💬 SHARE YOUR STORY OR FEEDBACK Your voice helps shape this community and may be featured in a future episode.Email: [email protected] a Voice Note: https://socialjusticeoriginstories.com/contact/ or https://www.speakpipe.com/socialjusticeoriginstoriesOr leave a comment below🎧 LISTEN & FOLLOWWebsite: https://socialjusticeoriginstories.comApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-justice-origin-stories/id1771268991Wherever You Get Your Podcasts: https://pod.link/1771268991Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialjusticeoriginstories/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567841874653Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sjoriginstories.bsky.socialLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/social-justice-origin-stories/LinkedIn (Relando): https://www.linkedin.com/in/relandothompkinsjones/LinkTree for more: https://linktr.ee/SocialJusticeOriginStories?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZzPfl3gCm5NY9C_Y-glRzwDu-8BvHfkCJaQlDihfrQxbYWC1dnxgRL2kU_aem_kmgEcokBmDt8WaAtlWQMQQSocial Justice Origin Stories is produced, edited, and hosted by Relando Thompkins-Jones.01:51 Personal Journey and Reflections04:01 College Experiences and Activism07:12 Transformative Moments in Education09:46 Engagement with Social Justice Movements28:27 Mentorship and Teaching Philosophy33:50 Challenging Negative Conversations About Students35:41 Developing Solidarity as Praxis37:51 Understanding Solidarity vs. Allyship42:46 Mentors and Influences in Social Justice Work48:01 The Importance of Community in Social Justice51:59 Final Reflections and Gratitude01:30:12 Closing Remarks and Call to Action