The following is an excerpt from an untitled and unpublished novel. This is a work of realistic fiction. All names, characters, places, and experiences are either of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, places, or occurrences is completely coincidental. Please be advised that this writing includes material that could be considered…
In November, I wrote the article Black Educators Share Their Thoughts on What Happens When White Women Cry in Schools. Then, in January I shared a 2nd article in which Black education leaders shared DIFFERENT views on white tears. In my conversations with educators, I am learning that in order to change the way we lead, coach, mentor, and manage…
In the article Is the Road to Special Education (for Black Boys) Paved with the White Educator’s Paperwork?, we meet Randy for the first time. Some Context Let’s imagine something for a moment. There is a Black father, Randy, who struggles to maintain employment. He was…
Being in urban education is hard work. Some might say that being an education leader in an urban environment is even harder work. To further emphasize this reality, the Hechinger Report highlights the locus of responsibility for teachers and school leaders: A 2009 study by New Leaders for New Schools found that more than half of a school’s…
In November, I wrote an article called Black Educators Share Their Thoughts on What Happens When White Women Cry in Schools. Since then, I’ve received a number of responses to the content and was notified recently that the article was posted on a colleague’s blog and viewed over 12,000 times. That’s pretty exciting! That number of views also suggests that there…
Please listen to this poem from Jordan, a 15-year old African American female student. A few days ago Jordan was engaged in a conversation with her peers. One of the students made a comment about White privilege. 15-year-olds. I don’t think my friends and I talked about race when I was 15, but that was quite some time…
In a recent article, Zachary Wright, a high school teacher, wrote As a White male teacher, whose goals are to not only teach, but also learn from my students, I need to be aware of, and need to name, the privilege that inevitably blinds me from truly understanding what it means to be Black in America. Thank you, Mr. Wright. 🙂…
If you have ever done a privilege walk, you know it can be a very moving, and sometimes emotional, visual of how some of us have been given opportunities and head starts and others of us have not. In the video above, the narrator tells participants to take two steps forward if 1) both of your parents are still…
This weekend I had the opportunity to attend the first national gathering of Black Male Educators Convenings (BMEC) in Philadelphia. I was both inspired and challenged. In sacred spaces like the convening, where Black men are often coming from schools and places that are predominately female and White, I try to think carefully about my presence, both in simply being…
Many studies note that there is an over identification of Black boys to special education. While serving as the Teach For America Vice President with Teacher Leadership Development in Greater Philadelphia, I had the opportunity to spend time in classes in Trenton, Camden, and Philadelphia. In this role, I saw 3rd grade special education classes that were 100% Black males…