Reka C. Barton, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Literacy Education at the University of Maryland. Dr. Barton is an educator, curator and craftivist that researches multimodality, multilingualism and multiliteracies in and with communities of Black and Brown women and children in hopes of socially just and more equitable realities. Dr. Barton embeds these approaches in her teaching and service as well. She is a former elementary school teacher, with the majority of her classroom teaching career spent in dual language and urban classrooms. In addition to her classroom experience, she also has expertise in curriculum design, professional development for teachers, and literacy and biliteracy coaching. Dr. Barton teaches courses in children's literature and literacy methods. Her recent publications can be found in Children's Literature in Education, Journal of Language and Literacy Education, and Departures in Critical Qualitative Research.