Daniel Solórzano, UCLA education professor and inaugural director of the newly established UCLA Center for Critical Race Studies, was honored with the inaugural Revolutionary Mentor Award by the Social Justice Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association.
For his 40-plus years of scholarly work, teaching and mentorship, Solórzano was recognized at the research association’s annual meeting in San Antonio in April.
A letter from 56 current and former students recommended Solórzano for the honor.
“Getting this award is truly one of the highest and most humbling honors in my 44 years as an educator,” said Solórzano. “I see my mentoring as an extension of my teaching. To that end, I have been blessed with extraordinary students throughout my entire career and my 27 years at UCLA. Our students are the ones who carry forward the work for social and racial justice.”
Solórzano teaches in the division of social science and comparative education in UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. His teaching, research and publishing interests include critical race theory in education, racial microaggressions, critical race pedagogy and critical race spatial analysis.
On issues related to educational access and equity for underrepresented populations in the United States, critical race theory and racial microaggressions, Solórzano has authored more than 100 research articles and book chapters. He has taught at the Los Angeles County Juvenile Hall, the California Community College, the California State University and the University of California systems.
Among his many accolades, Solórzano has received the UCLA Distinguished Teacher Award, the American Educational Research Association’s Social Justice in Education Award, the Derrick A. Bell Legacy Award from the Critical Race Studies in Education Association, and the Mildred Garcia Exemplary Scholarship Award from the Association for Studies in Higher Education.
In 2015, Solórzano, along with a cadre of UCLA graduate students and alumni, launched the UCLA Center for Critical Race Studies. The center engages scholars and community members in interdisciplinary research that expands the understanding of crucial educational and social inequality issues including race, racism and other forms of discrimination such as sexism, classism, homophobia and ableism.
The American Educational Research Association, a national research society founded in 1916, strives to advance knowledge about education, encourage scholarly inquiry related to education, and promote the use of research to improve education and serve the public good.
