black educator pipeline

Dr. Greg Carr, associate professor of Africana Studies and chair of the Department of Afro-American Studies at Howard University rejoins the Building the Black Educator Pipeline Podcast to give us a history lesson on the life and legacy of Martin Delany. Dr. Carr explains why Delany is considered an icon in Black nationalist thought and contrasts him to modern-day activists.

Dr. Carr and host Shayna Terrell discuss the connection to academic work in today's social movements and lay out strategies that ancestors would have used to address the crisis of education and curriculum today. Dr. Carr gives his thoughts on the movement to ban books and exclude topics from the curriculum in schools and the effort to erase parts of our history. 

Shayna and Dr. Carr talk about how we can get students active in engaging with these education bills across the country. They also discuss the NAACP's recent "travel advisory" to Florida, calling the state hostile to Black Americans. 

Building the Black Educator Pipeline is joined by Devin Morris, Co-Founder of "The Teachers' Lounge," an education-based nonprofit organization "seeking to drive unprecedented student outcomes by greatly diversifying the people, thoughts, and actions of the educational workforce in the Greater Boston Area and beyond.
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Devin is also a member of the Commission on Black Men and Boys with the Boston Mayor’s Office and joins the show to discuss the importance of teacher diversity and educational equity.   

In this episode, host Shayna Terrell and Devin discuss strategies that districts can implement to increase teacher diversity, as well as how to support teachers of color who enter the workforce. They discuss major reasons educators of color don't feel supported and what drives them to leave the profession. 

The conversations also touches on policy and how we can hold legislators accountable when it comes to increasing the number of teachers of color. 

Dr. Ifetayo Flannery, Assistant Professor and Chair of Undergrad Chair of Africology and African American Studies at Temple University helps us better understand the difference between Africology and African American Studies.

Dr. Flannery talks about how Africana Studies changed her perspective of herself and the world and how it can be applied to K-12 education. Host Shayna Terrell of the Center for Black Educator Development asks Dr. Flannery to share the impact African American studies can have on young students, especially Black children. 

The conversation touches on how to best incorporate Black studies into curriculum and resistance to teaching Black studies. The episode also covers Black psychology, the term "Black" when referring to the African diaspora, and more. 

Educator, activist and all-around thought leader Jason B. Allen joins the show to discuss the importance of hearing and seeing Black men in education. 

Jason shares his journey to becoming an educator and what led him to found Educational Entities, which helps share, develop, and create stories that educate. He also discusses his podcast 'Speak Black Man'.

The full conversation touches on the erasure of the voices and presence of Black men in the education space, strategies for recruiting more Black teachers, and how public education interacts with the Black community. To close, Host Shayna Terrell gives space to Jason to #ThankABlackTeacher and touch on the importance of Black History Month. 

We welcome Edwin Mayorga, Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Studies and the Program in Latin American and Latino Studies, and co-researcher of the Education in our Barrios Project (#BarrioEdProj) to BTBEP podcast!

In this episode, Mr. Mayorga shares about his journey and what inspired him to become an educator. He shares with host Shayna Terrell how race and culture can be at the forefront of how we engage today’s youth, and the importance of affirming our own identities and the identities of the students we serve.

As #HispanicHeritageMonth comes to a close, the episode centers around Latinx communities, educators and students and what "culturally relevant curriculum" looks like for these communities. Edwin Mayorga shares about his "Barrio Education Project," the term "LatinX," and the importance of Black and Brown unity in this work. 

A 25-year veteran of the classroom, Kurt Russell was first inspired to become a teacher in middle school, when he encountered his first Black male teacher. Now as 2022 National Teacher of the Year, he plans to advocate for classrooms to better reflect the students within them — from a curriculum that reflects their backgrounds and identities to a more diverse teaching profession. 

Kurt teaches history at Oberlin High School in Oberlin, Ohio, where he was born and raised; his classes include African American history, which he has taught since the late 1990s, and Race, Gender and Oppression, a class he developed. He also serves as faculty advisor for the student-led Black Student Union, whose work has led to positive impacts for students across racial groups.

In addition to his classroom and extracurricular duties, Kurt is the head coach for the school’s varsity basketball team. He sees basketball as an extension of the classroom, and a place where young people can learn about working together and how to handle both adversity and success.  

Kurt shares what led him to become an educator and why he has stayed in the classroom for so long. He discuss the importance of diverse curriculum and class offerings and how African-American history and culture is under attack. Finally, host Shayna Terrell and Mr. Russell discuss how teaching is a political act and the importance of recruiting and retaining Black educators. 

Dr. Christopher Emdin is the Robert A. Naslund Endowed Chair in Curriculum Theory and Professor of Education at the University of Southern California, where he also serves as Director of youth engagement and community partnerships at the USC Race and Equity Center. He is also Scholar/Griot in Residence at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

He previously served as Associate Director of the Institute for Urban and Minority Education and Director of the Science Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Emdin is an alumni fellow at the Hip-hop Archive and Hutchins Center at Harvard University and was STEAM Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State and Minorities in Energy Ambassador for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Dr. Emdin holds a Ph.D. in Urban Education with a concentration in Mathematics, Science, and Technology; Master's degrees in both Natural Sciences and Education; and Bachelor's degrees in Physical Anthropology, Biology, and Chemistry. He is the creator of the #HipHopEd social media movement, Science Genius BATTLES and the CREATE Accelerator. He was recently named one of the 27 people bridging divides in the United States by Time magazine and the Root 100 list of most influential African Americans.

He is the author of numerous award-winning works including the award-winning, Urban Science Education for the Hip-hop Generation and the New York Times bestseller, For White Folks Who Teach In the Hood and the Rest of Ya’ll too. His latest book. Ratchetdemic: Reimagining Academic Excellence and STEM STEAM Make Dreamare currently available wherever books are sold.

Christian Sabree and Maleah Thomas-Thornton, future black educators and servant leader apprentices at the Center for Black Educator Development join the Building the Black Educator Pipeline Podcast to discuss the journey to becoming an educator. 

Christian and Maleah share with host Shayna Terrell about their inspiration to become educators and their experience with freedom schools. They also discuss working as servant leader apprentices at the Center for Black Educator Development and the impact it has had on them. 

Finally, the conversation touches on the overall importance of recruiting more Black educators, the impact that they have on students, and why we desperately need more of them. 

Mama Debra Watkins, Executive Director of ABEN joins the Building the Black Educator Pipeline Podcast to discuss the work of her organization, A Black Education Network. 

ABEN combines and disseminates evidence-based research findings, education strategies, and culture through offering professional development opportunities, student-focused programming, and curricula designed to empower the educators of Black students and Black students themselves.

Host Shayna Terrell and Debra Watkins discuss what African-centered education looks like and why it is important for Black students. They also cover how education can serve as a vehicle for liberation and discuss how we can achieve justice for Black students. 

Resident Baba Dr. Greg Carr returns to his monthly slot on Building the Black Educator Pipeline Podcast to talk all things "freedom." Dr. Carr let's us know why he personally always feels free and discusses some symbols of freedom in the United States. 

Shayna and Dr. Carr also break down the history of the 4th of July and Juneteenth and what they represent while discussing who gets to define what it means to be free and what that looks like.

Finally, the show covers the right to a quality education and how that is tied to our freedom or lack thereof. 

Dr. Kristal Moore Clemons has advanced racial and gender equity through her work in K-12 education, higher education, and nonprofit management. In her academic leadership, she has shaped curriculum and fostered positive academic experiences in face-to-face and online environments. 

She is the national director of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools® program. This program uses culturally relevant pedagogy and high-quality books to deepen scholars’ understanding of themselves and all they have in common with others in a multiracial, multicultural democratic society. 

Dr. Clemons is a native of Chicago, Illinois and a graduate of DePaul University having earned her B.A. in Women’s Studies and Political Science. She earned an M.A. from Washington State University in American Studies, her PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Education-Culture, Curriculum and Change and a graduate certificate in Women’s Studies from Duke University. She and her partner reside in Virginia with their children.

Now more than ever, having Black Leaders in education who can be competent change agents in our communities is crucial! Dr. William Hayes, CEO of Boys Latin Charters Schools, joins the show to discuss the current state of education and the importance of Black educational leadership.

Dr. William Hayes is the Chief Executive Officer of Boys' Latin of Philadelphia an all-male college preparatory network of two schools in West Philadelphia. He began his career in education in Boston, Massachusetts as a teacher, college counselor, and assistant principal.  He went on to serve as a Pre-K to 8th grade turnaround principal in Cleveland Ohio and then transitioned to become a founding principal of both a middle and a high school in Camden, New Jersey. 

 Dr. Hayes holds a bachelor's of science in psychology from Morehouse College, a master's in education from Harvard University, and a Doctorate in Education Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University. He is a native of small town Hartsville, SC and an advocate for equitable access and opportunity for students of color.

What is the purpose of education?

Our resident Baba, Dr. Greg Carr rejoins the show to answer this question and break down how our system of education functions and the purpose it serves.

In this episode, host Shayna Terrell and Dr. Carr discuss how formal education has shifted over time in America and how different cultures see the role of education. Dr. Carr addresses the unique role of a public system of schools in a capitalist society, and the conversation touches on a parent's right to a quality education.

Shayna and Dr. Carr discuss the curriculum in our schools and who and what gets taught to children, as well as the spiritual and cultural violence that Black children often face at school.

Finally, the conversation touches on the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas and what the aftermath will be. 

Host Shayna Terrell of the Center for Black Educator Development speaks with Maisha Sullivan-Ongoza about the role that Black mothers have historically played and continue to play in organizing and achieving societal change.

Maisha retired in 2014 from the Philadelphia Chapter of Say Yes to Education, Inc, which served as a Family Scholarship program and has served as adjunct professor at various universities in the Delaware Valley. She was also a popular radio talk show host for six years of “Fertile Ground” which focused on African American and African diaspora culture, history, communities and struggles.

 She previously served as a Director within the Rendell mayoral administration in Philadelphia, PA, as part of the Mayor’s Children and Families Cabinet. UPDATE: You can now catch Building the Black Educator Pipeline on your preferred podcast platform. Make sure to follow the show leave a review if you value these important conversations.

Resident Baba Dr. Greg Carr, Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Chair of the Department of Afro-American Studies at Howard University, returns for our special re-launch episode. 

Host Shayna Terrell and Dr. Carr dive into Teacher Appreciation Week, with an eye toward Black educators and the need to uplift their work and let them know they are appreciated.

Dr. Carr gives some historical context to the plight of the Black teacher, and Shayna shares the #ThankABlackTeacher and #WeNeedBlackTeachers campaigns that the Center for Black Educator Development are running.