Dr. Bianca Nightengale-Lee is a nationally recognized scholar, educator, and speaker whose work bridges critical literacy, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and community-based educational justice. A Detroit native, her personal experiences within a racially inequitable school system inform her commitment to dismantling traditional curricula and centering the voices of Black and Brown youth.

Currently serving as Director of the Lewis Walker Institute at Western Michigan University, Dr. Nightengale-Lee leads research and programming that advances racial equity across academic, school, and community contexts. With more than 15 years as an elementary educator and literacy specialist, her approach draws from Afro-Indigenous pedagogies and Hip Hop education to develop liberatory learning spaces.