The Bell Ringer, the official blog of the CRTcollective. Regardless of where you
are in your CRT journey, The Bell Ringer is a place to gain new knowledge and
access to resources related to equity and justice. Our multidisciplinary blog
features posts from CRTc members and guest authors on an array of topics.
We invite scholars, activists, professionals, and students from around the
globe to share their knowledge, expertise, and lived experiences.

Send questions & inquiries to:
Managing Editor, Stephanie Birch
sbirch@crtcollective.org

 

Through the Lens: Capturing the 2020 Huntington Beach Riot

Glen Edward

University of Pittsburgh

A moment of reckoning — capturing the energy, resilience, and determination of Black Lives Matter protesters as they took to the streets of Huntington Beach

Photo by Glen Edward, taken in Huntington Beach, California.

Abstract:

In this post, I reflect on my experiences photographing a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest in Huntington Beach, California — a day that began with hope and spiraled into chaos. As a queer Black man, my camera captured more than just faces; it documented the clash between those demanding justice and those resisting change. These images reveal a struggle for visibility, the weight of fear, and the urgency for progress. Now, in 2025, I question how much has truly changed. The fight for racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and social equity continues, but with a stronger sense of intersectionality binding our movements together. Despite persistent opposition, I remain committed to showing up, camera in hand, to ensure these moments of resistance are seen and remembered. This post underscores the power of collective action and the importance of staying vigilant in the ongoing fight for justice.

 

 

A Jotería Counterstory: My Journey to a Jotería Praxis through the RAC

 

Sergio A. Gonzalez 

University of Pittsburgh

Image: By artivist Julio Salgado: “I Exist”

Abstract:

Dr. Sergio A. Gonzalez (University of Pittsburgh) explores the possibilities of Jotería Crit, a joining of jotería and Critical Race Theory (CRT). The concept of jotería is derived from an anti-queer Spanish-language term joto, which Gonzalez reclaims and reimagines as a praxis of critical race counterstorytelling and jotería historias. First cultivated within a Research Apprenticeship  Course (RAC) on Critical Race Theory at UCLA, jotería informed and led to the development of new methodologies in Gonzalez’s co-creative work, namely, Queer Pláticas (meaning conversations), to disrupt heteronormative thinking and ways of being. 

 

 

 

Reflecting On One Year of Israeli Destruction to Archives, Libraries, and Museums in Gaza

 

Gretchen Alexander

Maggie Schreiner 

                 Librarians and Archivists for Palestine                 

 

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Empowering Indigenous Communities: The Global Impact of the “Yes” Vote for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament in Australia 

Ramona Naicker, Medical Liaison Librarian at Monash University, Australia
CRTc Editorial Associate and Regional Lead

Carceral Book Bans and the Machinery of Human Repression

Stephanie Birch, CRT Collective Founding Member

 

The CRT Moral Panic and PragerU’s role in it: reflections from researchers.

Tom Cowin PhD Student, School of Global Studies, University of Sussex

Rob Dickinson, PhD Student, School of Global Studies, University of Sussex

The importance of teaching Critical Race Theory in MLIS programs

Twanna Hodge, University of Maryland, College Park

CRT Before the Formalized Theory: Calling a Thing a Thing

Aisha Johnson, PhD, Georgia Institute of Technology

Introducing the CRTc Official Blog: The Bell Ringer

Stephanie Birch, University of Connecticut
Dr. Alice Corbel, University of Sussex
Dr. Anthony W. Dunbar, Dominican University