Michele Foster wrote her seminal work
Black Teachers on Teaching a little over 20 years ago. When I read her book in a History of Education class it was the first time program coursework in my Masters and Doctoral studies linked my experiences as a Black teacher with the historical legacy of others who came before me. In the book foreword, Lisa Delpit articulates the value of the work to the education field, keenly forecasting many of the challenges Black teachers currently face. The problem of finding professional spaces Black educators can experience autonomy and freedom to define their professional visions remains a challenge 20 years later (Albert Shanker Institute
2015). The presence of hiring and evaluation practices that devalue or overlook the pedagogical potential and prowess Black educators bring to the profession continues to be a barrier (Bailey et al.
2016; D’Amico et al.
2017; White
2016). And while it is clear Black teachers can make a difference for all students (Cherng and Halpin
2016), the realities of Black education and lives in America reaffirm the weighty role Black teachers are frequently positioned to play for Black students. The unequal and inequitable educational experiences of Black students, typically placed in poorly resourced schools in disrepair, and devoid of access to rigorous upper level course offerings taught by experienced and proven teachers, provides a window through which to see current challenges in the system (U.S. Commission of Human Rights
2018). The #BlackLivesMatter Week of Action in Schools the second week of February 2018 brought attention to these issues, elevating the need for action across a plethora of quality of life domains for Black people in America. …
