Will Your Black Teachers Still Matter When Black History Month Is Over?

Feb 4, 2021 12:00:00 AM

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The protests and activism that took place last year had an impact on schools. School districts are adding diversity, equity, and inclusion roles and stating what their commitments will be to ensure all students and staff matter. These actions are a step in the right direction, but only if it lends itself to meaningful change.

Now that Black History Month is in full swing, some districts have been highlighting Black teachers and administrators across their social media accounts. The post is typically a picture of the employee that would be found in the school yearbook, a brief background about the employee and praise for the employee being part of the school. I wonder if the smile the employee has would still be present if the employee was asked if he or she is valued as a Black educator in the school district.

If Black employees were shocked by statements of racial equity and change their district has shared this school year, these Black History Month posts featuring Black employees are nothing more than performative. No employee wants praise on social media, only to have to survive a tumultuous work environment every day. [pullquote]Keeping up appearances on social media is easy, but changing the environment for Black employees is harder.[/pullquote] Even though it is hard, it is the necessary work.

When Black teachers raise concerns about racism, harassment, and bullying, the school district should investigate and provide support for the teachers. Many times, speaking up about difficulties in the work environment can result in the Black teacher feeling isolated and targeted with retaliation. The main retaliation tactic is to block opportunities for the Black teacher or to add comments to their evaluation such as not being a team player. Even worse, the school could dismiss concerns completely by stating it is just that teacher’s perception or all in that teacher’s head.

James Brown was known for singing, “Say it loud! I’m Black, and I’m proud.” Will employees say they are Black and proud to be associated with their school, the school that posted them on social media during Black History Month? [pullquote]To create an environment where Black teachers can be proud, administrators need to ask those teachers to be candid with them about the work environment.[/pullquote] Administrators and district leadership should enter those conversations prepared to hear statements that may make them uncomfortable. Last, they should ask for recommendations on what can be done.

Let me make this clear—[pullquote position="right"]It is not Black educators’ jobs to fix broken systems.[/pullquote] They may not have a solution or want to offer one. Yes, being solutions-oriented is a buzz phrase in schools. But trying to solve the problem they can face instead of having the school be the driver can be exhausting and potentially create more issues.

If a school district says that Black History Month and Black lives are a priority, but the Black teachers are not happy or proud of the school, then that school district has a lot of work to do.

Shawnta S. Barnes

Shawnta (Shawn-tay) S. Barnes, also known as Educator Barnes, is a married mother of identical twin boys. She navigates education from not only the educator’s perspective but also the parent’s perspective. She has been an educator for nearly two decades. Shawnta works with K-12 schools, universities, & education adjacent organizations through her education consulting business Blazing Brilliance. She is an adjunct college professor, supervises student teachers, Indy Kids Winning Editor-in-Chief, Brave Brothers Books Co-founder, & CEO, and Brazen Education Podcast host. She holds five education licenses: English/language arts 5-12, English to speakers of other languages P-12, library/media P-12, reading P-12, and school administration P-12, and she has held a job in every licensed area. Previously, she has served as a school administrator, English teacher, English learners teacher, literacy coach, and librarian. She won the 2019 Indiana Black Expo Excellence in Education Journalism Award. In 2023, she completed her doctorate in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education with a minor in Learning Sciences. She is an urban gardener in her spare time and writes about her harvest-to-table journey at gardenershicole.com. To learn more about Shawnta, visit educatorbarnes.com.

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