Dr. Francine Olivia Shakir teaches AFRS 650, Teaching the Black Experience, in the Department of Africana Studies. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of ASCEND Institute for Educational Change, a non-profit organization. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Creative Writing, from University of San Francisco; a Master of Arts Degree in Education, from San Francisco State University; and a Doctorate in International and Multicultural Education, from University of San Francisco.