My Black Students Have Learned to Be Wary of People Who Look Like Me, And That’s Not Racist

Recently in class, my students and I were listening to Lil Nas X sing “Old Town Road,” for what felt like the 100th time. Unintentionally…

White Students Can Fight for Racial Justice, But Only If Teachers Are Willing to Give Them the Tools

I teach a class in which my predominantly White juniors and seniors teach all of the predominantly White freshmen and sophomores about racial literacy and…

Don’t Integrate Schools Just to Benefit White Kids

White progressive educators and parents, I know lots of you. And I know you think diversity in schools is important. But you all are pushing…

White Teacher, Here’s How You Can Successfully Partner With Black Families

The show was going really well. We were in Pittsburgh, taping a live 8 Black Hands podcast episode at the State of Black Learning Conference,…

No English Teacher Gets to Tell Me How to Understand Toni Morrison

This week, the entire nation is mourning the death of writer Toni Morrison. Book lovers of all races, ethnicities, genders and sexualities recognize the genius…

White People Need to Understand That Helping Is Not the Same as Controlling

A few weeks ago, I attended a conference called Educator Summit in Philadelphia. I’m not much of a conference attendee and didn’t know exactly what…

Here’s Why President Trump’s Tweets About ‘The Squad’ Are Nothing New for Black Women in Education

On Sunday, the 45th president of the United States told four congresswomen of color to “go back” to the countries from which they came.  ….and…

Here’s What I Wish White Teachers Knew When Teaching My Black Children

Dear White Teachers of My Black Children: I am a Black mom and I have two children who are now in high school. Raising them…

White Teachers Working to Create Equitable Schools Must Accept That Race Impacts How We Teach

I remember the moment clearly. It was my sophomore year of college and we were in a crowded cafeteria. A friend asked me to identify…

Having a Mock Slave Auction Isn’t Teaching Students About Slavery, It’s Just Racist

As an educator, I am sometimes left with more questions than answers. One question that I have is how come conducting a mock slave auction…