Hey there! My name is Donna-Marie Holder, and I’m a first-year Doctoral Researcher in Education at Brunel University London. My research interests and passions include race and representation in academia and education more widely, and race and special educational needs. My racial and ethnic identity are such profound elements of who I am that I recently created ‘The Black Doctoral Researchers Collective’ to empower, support, and encourage other Black Doctoral Researchers as they navigate their way on this pivotal academic journey. I am ready to disrupt and challenge the systemic racism that is so deeply entrenched in education and start bringing forward meaningful and sustainable solutions to historic issues. I know it won’t be easy, but it wasn’t easy for those who came before me, and I hope to help pave the way for those who come after me. Outside of the academy, I am mom proudly raising a young Black King with severe autism, special needs educator, a happy vegan and blogger- and that’s just the short version! Wanna find out more? Hit me up!