Dr. Boyd grew up in Minneapolis, MN as the oldest of eight children. He became a Christian through Young Life while in high school. From the beginning, he saw his faith related to the social and political needs of people in the inner city. Throughout his career he has regularly been involved in founding and participating in organizations designed to improve the quality of life in urban communities. His current role as a faculty member allows him to combine his Christian faith, his love of the city, and his commitment to adult learning and development. Prior to coming to Eastern in 1997, Dr. Boyd served for 16 years as a pastor with the American Baptist Churches USA in Boston, Jersey City, Minnesota, and Philadelphia. He has also worked as an urban youth worker and a chaplain in a drug rehabilitation program. Currently, Dr. Boyd is a member of West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship where he is the co-chair of the church’s outreach effort with POWER.
Dr. Boyd is married to Cynthia Dustin Boyd. They have three adult daughters. Dr. Boyd loves to ride bike, play basketball, hike in the mountains, and root for any and all Philadelphia sports teams! He enjoys genealogical research, plays guitar, and is somewhat of a Civil War buff. However, mostly he enjoys being with people and having good conversation.
Dr. Boyd is currently a member of the Education Team of Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower and Rebuild (POWER). He is also involved in leadership development and anti-racism training with community groups throughout the city, and a member of HMC2, a community organization in the Carroll Park Neighborhood of West Philadelphia. He has served as a volunteer tutor with the Delaware County Literacy Council and as a member of the West Philadelphia High School Community Partners. He is also a founding member of Heeding God’s Call, a Philadelphia-based movement for gun violence prevention. Dr. Boyd has published articles on culturally-responsive education, the causes of urban violence, the spirituality of Paulo Freire, and critical pedagogy. He maintains a regular blog (drickboyd.blogspot.com on a variety of contemporary issues and concerns.
Courses Taught
Christ and the City, Theology of Poverty, Leadership Development, Leadership Practicum in Community Development, Emotional Intelligence, Social Movements
Research Interests
Community-based adult education, race and ethnic studies (particularly whiteness Studies), urban public education, critical pedagogy, and urban leadership.
Books
- D. Boyd, H., Chang. (2011). Spirituality in Higher Education: Autoethnographies, Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press.
- D. Boyd (Projected publication date, 2015). White Allies for Racial Justice, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books.
Select Articles
- “Autoethnography as a Tool for Transformative Learning About White Privilege,” Journal of Transformative Education 6 (3), July 2008, 212-225.
- “A University Serving the Oppressed: The Opportunity Afforded by Demographic Changes in Higher Education,” International Journal of Multicultural Education, Winter 2009.
- “The War Abroad and the War at Home: Examining the Link between U.S. Militarism and Violence on U.S. City Streets,” PRISM, Sept/Oct 2009, 16-18, 20-22, 39.
- “Crossfire: With Prayer and Protest People of Faith Take Aim at the Gun Industry,” PRISM, October 2011, 10-17.
- “David and Goliath: Faith-based Approaches to Gun Violence Prevention.” Mennonite Central Committee Fear Not Campaign, 2011-2013. (no longer available online).
- “Under the Radar: Popular Education in North America”
- “The Critical Spirituality of Paulo Freire” International Journal of Lifelong Education 31 (4), Sept 2012.
- Book Review of American and Its Guns by James Atwood, PRISM, November – December 2012, p. 46.
- “Anti-Racist White Allies: The Need for Role Models” in A Just World: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Social Justice, Heon Kin (Ed), 2013, Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
- Book Review of Just Spirituality: How Faith Practices Fuel Social Action by Elise Mae Cannon, PRISM, Fall 2013, p. 48.
Presentations
- “Paulo Freire’s Spirituality of Hope” presented at the 2007 Conference of the Pedagogy and Theater of the Oppressed, May 30-June 3, 2007, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
- “Interrogating Whiteness” presented at the Eastern University Academic Festival, May 19, 2008, St. Davids, PA.
- “Paulo Freire’s Spirituality of Hope” presented at the 2008 Conference of the American Association of Adult and Continuing Education, November 11-15, 2008, Denver, CO.
- Reading Circles: A Tool for Critical Thinking, Student Engagement & Learner Empowerment. Presented at the Lilly Conference on Teaching and Learning, April 17, 2009.
- “David and Goliath: A Faith Based Response to Gun Violence Prevention” SCUPE, March 3, 2011, Chicago, IL.
- “Teaching for Empowerment” Lilly Conference on Teaching and Learning, June 2-4, 2011, Bethesda, MD.
- “Under the Radar: Popular Education in North America,” Annual Meeting of the American Association of Adult and Continuing Education, Indianapolis, November 1-4, 2011.
- “Anti-Racist White Allies: The Need for Role Models” presentation at A Just World Conference,” Holy Family University, March 30, 2012.
- “How Stories Can Transform Whites Working for Racial Justice”, presentation at the Transformative Learning Conference, San Francisco, CA, November 3, 2012.
- “The Status of Popular Education Today in North America”, presentation at the Pedagogy and Theater of the Oppressed Conference, Miami of Ohio University, Oxford, OH, June 28, 2013.
- "Grassroots Leadership Development: Merging Popular Education with Community Development, ” presentation at the Pedagogy and Theater of the Oppressed Conference, Miami of Ohio University, Oxford, OH, June 28, 2013.