• Educator
• Researcher
• Mama
• Wife
• Advocate

Hello!

My name is Erica Buchanan-Rivera. I have served in education for nearly 17 years as a teacher, principal, diversity trainer, director of curriculum, and adjunct professor. Currently, I hold the position of director of equity and inclusion a K-12 school district in Indiana. I am a proud Butler University Bulldog where I received my Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and Master’s in School Administration. As a principal, I served in an international magnet school where I was also recognized as an Administrator of the Year recipient.

My research is centered on identity-affirming environments and I completed a doctoral degree from Indiana State University in 2017. In April 2020, I was recognized as the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Education at Butler University due to my contributions to the field on a local and national level. I believe all students deserve spaces that value their authenticity and have published a few articles to convey the importance of inclusive environments.

Outside of school systems, I am passionate about mobilizing communities to elevate racial equity. I developed Racial Dialogue Circles (RDCs) within my community, which was designed to ignite conversations about race and justice among people of various racial backgrounds. After the implementation of several circles, community members created a Racial Equity Community Network (RECN). This organization is a network that provides an entry point for people of all backgrounds to work towards rebuilding a just society. Feel free to follow RECN on Facebook.

In my personal life, I am happily married to my best friend Jesús and a proud momma to a beautiful daughter named Elise. I enjoy cooking, laughing at my husband’s witty sense of humor, all sweets with chocolate, playing hip hop on my violin, and spending time with family. I am an advocate for lupus awareness and have lived this invisible illness for over 10 years.

The critical examination of traditional norms, power structures, and curriculum is messy work, yet it is vital and necessary in the quest to generate equitable outcomes. Children are counting on our voices and watching to see how we lead inclusively. We have to learn how to place our comfort aside and fight fiercely for humanity through words, pedagogical practices, and actions.

As a student who operated in predominately white spaces, I struggled to feel visible and lacked emotional safety. I never want my child or any youth to feel the constraints from oppressive structures of whiteness. Importantly, I believe that educational leaders should prioritize the work of creating equitable environments and conditions that are conducive for learning. I am passionate about disrupting power dynamics that marginalize students and I am fortunate to be in spaces where I can intentionally hold these conversations with educators, families, and children daily.