Raul Fernandez

Dr. Raul Fernandez is a senior lecturer in the Educational Leadership & Policy Studies program at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, where he studies, writes, and teaches about inequities in education. Previously, he served as associate dean for equity, diversity & inclusion. He is also an appointee to the Racial Imbalance Advisory Council of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and has been named a Public Impact Scholar by the Initiative on Cities.

Dr. Fernandez’s community work helped topple a monument to white supremacy, held accountable a venerable but misguided institution, launched a film and conversation series that engaged thousands of participants in challenging dialogues on social justice issues, and trained thousands more in developing equitable policies and practices at institutions throughout the country and beyond.

Dr. Fernandez also served as vice chair of the Brookline Select Board – the first Latinx person elected to that position. He chaired Brookline’s Small Business Development Committee, which he founded. He also led the successful efforts to create a working group designed to better support the Brookline Housing Authority and its residents, a Racial Equity Advancement Fund, and a task force focused on reimagining public safety.

Dr. Fernandez regularly consults with organizations on issues of equity and inclusion and leads workshops which challenge participants to examine their background, beliefs, and biases while moving urgently to address social justice issues by making changes to policy and practice. He’s facilitated workshops for teachers and academics, doctors and nurses, lawyers and social workers, business and nonprofit leaders, artists and librarians, students and seniors, and more.

Pronouns: he/him

Recent News

• A Warrior for Education Equity
• Exploring Equity in Selective College Admissions
• 3 Benefits of a Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration
• Five BU Wheelock Faculty Promoted to Senior Lecturers

In the Media

• Racial Imbalance Advisory Council Reinvigorated
• 63% of Mass. Schools Are Still Segregated, Report Finds, Despite Law Against It
• Wheelock Lecturer Works inside and outside System to Fight for Education Equality
• 225K Students in Mass. Go to Segregated Schools, New Report Says
• Report Notes Segregation Patterns in Massachusetts Schools
• ‘It’s Heartbreaking’: 225,000 Mass. Students Attend Substandard Segregated Schools, New Report Finds
• 2024 Latinx Senior Ceremony–BU’s First
• Post Affirmative Action, Will Campuses Welcome Economically Disadvantaged Students?