Real Experiences for BHM 2016: Black Teachers in K-12

When I was in 4th or 5th grade (pardon my uncertainty, it's been a minute lol) my friends and I all tried out for a play. They all received a part, but I did not. It's weird that something you don't really care about suddenly becomes important when you're the only one not "in." I remember we found out just before lunch, so while they all celebrated and cheered, I was just kind of there... I remember bending down to tie my shoe, but then I didn't stand back up because it was easier to sit on the floor pretending to tie my shoe than to pretend I didn't feel left out. Luckily for me, my cousin Valeria Colbert Evans was a teacher at my elementary school and saw what was happening. She got me on my feet, took me to the side and reassured me it wasn't the end of the world. As a black person who has attended predominately white schools my whole life and only had 4 black teachers from preschool (age 6 weeks) all the way up through my PhD, I can tell you there is nothing more reassuring than a black face in a white space. I see movies like The Great Debaters and I think it would have been great to learn in an environment of black pride, where Black history is common knowledge. Mrs. Evans (well back then it was Ms. Colbert lol), Ms. Wilson, Ms. Dent, Ms. Sarvis (shout out to Ms. Sarvis for keeping it real in American Gov't and cutting down the boy who wouldn't refrain from racist remarks--i won't be petty and tag him), they were the glimmer of hope for me and the reminder that not *every* card was stacked against me. Teachers are probably the most important people we get the pleasure of interacting with and our history will never make it into the classroom without black teachers. People like Mary McLeod Bethune knew the power of black educators and black education, and I'm glad there are still people fighting for us from inside the classroom. If you're a teacher I applaud you; if you're a black teacher, I salute you and I'm hugging you from a distance. #TeachersMakeTheWorldGoRound #BlackHistoryMonth2016 #MakeItCount

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Element5 Digital