J. Luke Wood
Jonathan Luke Wood (born February 21, 1982), known professionally as J. Luke Wood, is an American social scientist, author, and the Dean's Distinguished Professor of Education at San Diego State University(SDSU). According to "The Black in the Crimson and Black," Wood is the first Black distinguished professor in SDSU history. He is consistent voice on leadership theory and black male achievement in the American community colleges system. Wood is a Professor at San Diego State University and Co-Director of the Community College Equity Assessment Lab (CCEAL), a national research and practice center that partners with  community colleges on issues regarding men of color. Wood is a co-director of the Center for Organizational Responsibility and Advancement (CORA), a professional development organization that claims to support educational professionals in advancing their capacity to serve historically underrepresented and underserved students. In 2013, Wood received the Barbara K. Townsend Emerging Scholar Award from the Council for the Study of Community Colleges of the American Association of Community Colleges. Wood earned his Ph.D. in 2010 from Arizona State University (ASU) in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies with a concentration in Higher Education. He also holds a M.Ed. in Curriculum  and Instruction in Early Childhood Education from ASU as well as a M.A. in Student Affairs and B.A. in Black History and Politics from California State University, Sacramento. Black Minds Matter. In 2017, Wood taught a nationally broadcast course titled “Black Minds Matter: A Focus on Black Boys and Men in Education.” The course was streamed to a registered audience of 10,000 learners who participated as individuals and at 260 live broadcast and replay sites across the nation. Each session included commentary from Wood and featured guest speakers such as Shaun R. Harper, Ilyasah Shabazz, Patrisse Cullors, Jerlando F. L.  Jackson, S. Lee Merritt, and Frank Harris III. A review of each week of the course was released in HuffPost.According to the public syllabus, the course was “Black Minds Matter is a public course designed to increase the national consciousness about issues facing Black boys and men in education. The course draws parallels between issues faced by Black males in society and the ways that Black minds are engaged in the classroom." The course was panned by conservatives as a propaganda for the Black Lives Matter movement. Wood indicated that the course was offered as a response to the  shooting of Alfred Olango by police officers in El Cajon California, near San Diego. The third offering of Black Minds Matter is set to take place on July 16, 2020. The course will draw "parallels between the policing of Black lives and the schooling of Black minds. The course will balance a discussion of the issues facing Black students and strategies for improving their success." Publications. Wood has authored over 150 publications, including 15 books, and more than 70 peer-reviewed journal articles. His 2018 book "Black Minds Matter" was identified as one of "Five Books that Every White Ally  Should Read on Black Lives" by Diverse Issues in Higher Education and as a resource for allies by NBC. His books include: