Zakkiyya Witherspoon

Expertise

Culturally grounded interventions; Black student advocacy; inclusive school design; professional development

Research Interests

Zakkiyya's research interests include culturally responsive interventions for Black adolescent girls in predominantly white institutions, social self-efficacy development, critical consciousness, and the use of African American cultural traditions as pedagogical tools. She is also interested in identity-affirming school design and the creation of inclusive spaces for Muslim students and staff in public schools.

Education

Biosketch

Zakkiyya Witherspoon is a graduate programs advisor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell School of Education and earned the Ed.D. in Leadership in Schooling at UMass Lowell. Her career spans 13 years in private education and four years in the Cambridge Public School District, where she co-founded MCCPS (Muslim Community of Cambridge Public Schools), a school affinity group supporting Muslim staff and students. She is currently partnering with Mansfield's Muslim community to redesign school spaces that are inclusive and affirming for Muslim students. Zakkiyya is also the founder of the Islamic Academy for Peace Daycare and a former member of the Atrium School Board of Trustees. A committed advocate for Black educators, she delivers professional development for public schools bringing her Clap Club model, a culturally grounded intervention using traditional African American hand-clapping games, directly to students across districts.

Selected Presentations

The coverage we received:

• "Cambridge Schools Create ‘Sacred Spaces' for Safe Prayer," NBC10 Boston
• "Cambridge Public Schools establish sacred spaces for students and staff," WBZ CBS News Boston

Selected Intellectual Property

• Witherspoon, Z. (2026). When We Play Our Way: A Culturally Grounded Intervention to Build Social Efficacy and Counteract Marginalization Among Black High School Girls. Doctoral dissertation, University of Massachusetts Lowell, School of Education. Ed.D. in Leadership in Schooling.
• The Legacy Journal: For Black Girls Who Clap, Create & Conquer (2025) A journal and workbook designed to support the social-emotional development, cultural identity, and self-expression of Black girls. Developed as a companion to the Clap Clubintervention. Available on Amazon.