Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture at the University of Chicago

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Kaila Wood

Inspired by Black literary icons like Ashley M. Jones and Zora Neale Hurston, Kaila Wood is a writer, a creative, and a social justice advocate. Currently a second-year double majoring in Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity and Sociology with a minor in Education & Society, Kaila has a passion for exploring the intersections between race, literature, and youth education, especially for public high schoolers of color from low-income backgrounds like hers.

Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, Kaila has a personal connection and demonstrated passion for sociocultural advancement and youth education advocacy. The summer after her first year at the College, Kaila became a Teaching Fellow for Breakthrough Birmingham as a 9th-grade Humanities instructor with a focus on analyzing Lorraine Hansberry’s original play, A Raisin in the Sun. Experiencing the power of culturally responsive pedagogy on the receiving end as a former Breakthrough student and on the giving end as a Teaching Fellow was one of the most defining moments of her career.

Since that summer, Kaila has continued her passion for creating culturally responsive spaces for students of color both on campus and abroad. In addition to working for the Center, she is currently of the Organization of Black Students' co-Political Chairs who executed the 2025 Kent Lecture featuring Philonise Floyd, police reform activist and brother of George Floyd as well as hosting quarterly “Real Talks” to hold space for Black students to discuss the diversity, joy, and hardships of their experiences here at the University and beyond. When she is not working for the Center or curating events for OBS, she works remotely as an ExploreU mentor for high school kids from her high school’s district, assisting them with post-secondary planning, social-emotional learning, and everything in between.

With a proven and continuous drive for anti-racist and culturally/emotionally responsive pedagogy, Kaila is excited about being a part of a team like CSRPC understands the reciprocal relationship between teaching and learning and practices various ways of knowledge into its vision of a more equitable world.