Jocardo Ralston
Equity-Driven Educator · Researcher · Advocate
Race · Queer Identity · Disability · Justice
Centering Black queer youth.
Challenging deficit-based systems.
Advancing humane education.
About Me
My name is Jocardo Ralston (he/him), and I am an equity-driven educator, researcher, and advocate based in Philadelphia. Currently, I am a Ph.D. candidate in Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.
Grounded in over fifteen years of experience in special education, my work examines how race, queer identity, and disability intersect in the lives of Black boys in U.S. K–12 schools. Drawing on critical disability theory (DisCrit), critical Black theory (BlackCrit), and queer of color critique (QOCC), I center the voices of young people whose experiences are too often misrecognized and marginalized.
Across research, teaching, and creative practice, I am committed to advancing humane, affirming, and justice-oriented educational futures.