Education as an arena for social justice | University of Minnesota Skip to main content
Wordmark of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities
News and Events

Utility Menu

  • MyU
  • One Stop
  • Jobs

Common Search Terms

  • Housing
  • Libraries
  • Bookstore
  • Tuition Cost
  • Academic Calendar

News Section Menu

  • Topics
  • Story Archive
  • For Journalists
  • Events

Task List

  • MyU
  • One Stop
  • Jobs
  • Topics
    • Agriculture & Environment
    • Architecture & Design
    • Arts & Humanities
    • Business & Management
    • Campus Affairs
    • Education
    • Health
    • Law & Policy
    • Science & Technology
    • Social Sciences
    • Sports & Recreation
  • Story Archive
  • For Journalists
  • Events

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. News & Events
  3. Education as an arena for social justice
Feature

Education as an arena for social justice

October 20, 2022
Ahmed Amin

Ahmed Amin (BA '08, history and sociology of law, criminology, and deviance) has come full circle. He is currently the principal of Sanford Middle School in Minneapolis, where his formal education once began. The teachers he once had are now his colleagues. Before finding himself back at Sanford, Amin worked for Heartland Democracy, a local nonprofit dedicated to supporting kids in identifying their values and engaging in their communities.
 
At Heartland Democracy, Amin specialized in working with youths who immigrated to the United States, a personal connection he had with them. “For the kids we worked with who were immigrants, there’s this sense of living in two worlds. As somebody who has to navigate multiple worlds as an immigrant and an American, it’s different,” says Amin.

His work at Heartland wasn't easy, but it was rewarding. Amin often found himself considering new questions that translated to his work as a teacher and principal. “What are the educational spaces in our communities that should be leading work on [identity]?” asks Amin.
 
Amin’s previous experiences shape his focus as principal at Sanford. Immediately after graduating from college, Amin found a teaching position in Chicago where his values were challenged. Though the experience was not what he expected, Amin walked away knowing he could do things differently. “It made me realize what my ‘why’ was for going into the schools,” he says.
 
"Our focus [at Sanford] is not depositing knowledge. It’s really about changing [the kids’] orientation and how they think about knowledge,” Amin explains. “Asking questions like what is knowledge in the arts? What is knowledge in math? What is knowledge in the sciences? And what are the connections between these different knowledge systems?”
 
Amin found his passion for teaching during his time at U of M’s College of Liberal Arts. The professors who made a profound impact on him, the resources made readily available to him, and the wide range of people and discussions led Amin to discover what he felt he was meant to do. “What is the purpose of education? I didn’t go to college so that I could get a job. I was in search of something—a purpose or a better understanding of myself or the world. And I feel that I got that,” says Amin.
 
Amin shows that oftentimes, the most meaningful experiences are the ones that we least expect or the ones that challenge us the most. “Don’t look to always be safe and comfortable,” he says. “Anything worthwhile takes a leap of faith.”
 
This story was adapted from the College of Liberal Arts.

  • Categories:
  • Education
  • Social Sciences
  • Education practice and theory
Share this story
  • Link to share current story on Twitter
  • Link to share current story on Facebook
  • Link to share current story via email

More stories in Education

Digital drawing showing a group of people in front of a public transportation-style bus with a city skyline in the background.
News Release

Center for Transportation Studies awarded $6 million from Federal Transit Administration to address transportation insecurity

The University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies and its partners will design and lead a new Mobility, Access and Transportation Insecurity: Creating Links to Opportunity Program (MATI).

Joan Blakey smiling in a chair next to a book in the foreground partially showing the title "Social Work"
Feature

A lifelong journey leads her home

Joan Blakey graduated from the University of Minnesota more than 25 years ago with an undergraduate degree in social work. Two more degrees and more than two decades later, Blakey now leads the School of Social Work as its director. She is the first African American woman in that role.

Editor's picks

The Met in New York
Feature

Encountering art across America

Viewing world-famous art without the filter of a screen or a print is an experience not everyone can have, but for one student, it was life-changing.

Participants in a nature program paddle canoes on a body of water.
Feature

Nurturing nature

Grad student Lucas Rapisarda leads a program for immigrants combining nature learning with adult English language courses.

An assortment of animals in children's clothes play jump rope and swim in a pond.
Feature

A medical student’s book teaches kids to appreciate differences

“The Way We Play,” by medical student Hugh Burke and Kylie Donohue, uses familiar animals to teach acceptance and teamwork.

Colin Bracewell playing guitar on stage and singing into mic
Feature

Blending business and the arts

Colin Bracewell combines his love of music with business to fuel his budding indie-pop career.

See all stories
UMN Crookston UMN Morris UMN Duluth UMN Twin Cities UMN Rochester

System Campuses

  • System Website
  • Crookston
  • Duluth
  • Morris
  • Rochester
  • Twin Cities

For Journalists

  • Find an Expert
  • For Journalists
  • Guidelines for Journalists
  • Meet the PR Team

Contact

[email protected] 612-624-5551
Do you know what
the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
does for you?
Driven to Discover Campaign

Connect with us

  • Link to U of M's Facebook page
  • Link to U of M's Instagram page
  • Link to U of M's LinkedIn page
  • Link to U of M's Tiktok account
  • Link to U of M's Twitter page
  • Link to U of M's Youtube page
Wordmark of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities
  • Crookston
  • Duluth
  • Morris
  • Rochester
  • Twin Cities
© Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
Privacy Statement | Report Web Disability-Related Issue
Website Feedback