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Fellows
Esperonto Bean, MA
2025-2026 Communications Lead
The AntiRacist Research and Policy Center has awarded the 2025–2026 Communications Fellowship to Mr. Esperonto Bean. Esperonto teaches in AU’s Dance department and also recently received his master’s degree in Strategic Communications from our School of Communication. Mr. Bean will serve as the ARPC’s Communications Lead for the rest of the academic year, working with Center leadership and Center affiliates on building relationships with funders and aligning communications strategies with fundraising needs in order to stimulate philanthropic support. He will also support the Center leadership’s bridge-building initiatives to strengthen relations between the center and unaffiliated staff and faculty and co-mentor the Messaging and Communications Intern (TBA).
Dave Trachtenberg, MS
2025-2026 Doctoral Research Fellow
The AntiRacist Research and Policy Center has awarded the 2025–2026 doctoral fellowship to Mr. David Trachtenberg. Mr. Trachtenberg is well known to the AU community for his mindfulness work in Health Studies and his work in restorative justice and cross-cultural dialogue through the School of Education. He holds a master’s degree in Positive Organization Development and has over 20 years of experience in his field. He is currently a doctoral student at Dominican University in Orangeburg, NY, where he is enrolled in their Applied Social Justice doctoral program. During the term of his fellowship, Mr. Trachtenberg will work with ARPC leadership and the ARPC research intern (TBA) in a participatory action research initiative exploring somatic awareness in cross-cultural dialogue circles.
Dr. Shané Weaver
2025–2026 Postdoctoral Fellow in Research Translation
The AntiRacist Research and Policy Center has awarded the 2025–2026 postdoctoral fellowship to Dr. Shané Weaver. Dr. Weaver is a graduate of Temple University and an Africologist who dissertated on the topic of Black women’s hair and the discourse community of the salon. She has many years’ experience in the discipline of rhetoric and composition and is a decorated writing teacher specializing in helping writers bridge voice and purpose. She teaches College Writing and her topics in critical race and gender from a decolonial pedagogical frame. During her term, Dr. Weaver will support the collaboration between the ARPC and the university’s Critical Information Literacy Committee (CILC). She will work with the CILC to revise and publish their AntiRacist Praxis Subject Guide and their Critical AI Toolkit. Dr Weaver will also co-mentor the ARPC Messaging and Communications Intern (TBA).