Black Community Alliances
About Black Community Alliances
Mission
The mission of The Black Community Alliances is to support and strengthen Black educators, students, parents, and communities. In pursuit of this mission, we develop and cultivate mutually beneficial partnerships with external organizations that share our commitment to the Black community. Through these partnerships, we advocate for and provide tangible supports to facilitate recruitment and retention of Black educators and the creation of school environments and policies that are safe and equitable for Black students and all students.
The Decision to Use “Black”
Our decision to use “Black” instead of “African American” is to ensure the geographical and cultural inclusivity of everyone within the African diaspora. We hope to highlight that African Americans are one of many variations within a larger global community of individuals who have a shared ancestry yet diverse cultures, customs, and languages.
In The Classroom
Teachers who share the backgrounds of their students do more than just teach their students the possibilities—they show them. We work in solidarity with the Black community to dramatically increase the number of Black men and women who choose teaching as a career. Today, we are one of the largest contributors of teachers of color in the nation.
Get Involved with BCA
- For questions, email us
“Educational inequity was something that I was noticing, starting as early as 6th grade, and this deep-seated discomfort started to grow within me. I ultimately think that's what brought me here.”
The Black Educators Promise Initiative
In 2020, TFA launched the Black Educators Promise Initiative, funded by Ballmer group, which is a $10 million/5 year project to increase recruitment and retention of Black educators. The Black Educators Promise Initiative (BEP) is designed to increase TFA’s and the sector’s understanding of what resources are needed, and when, to best support Black teachers and increase the number of Black educators in the field.
Our BEP Grants and financial supports are offered as a means to alleviate financial barriers that often deter Black educators from entering and remaining in the classroom such as relocation cost, exam fees, certifications, and teacher training, etc.
Recruitment Programs
Incoming Corps Member Grant
We reached out to our Black participants and asked what financial amount would make a meaningful difference to ease their transition into the classroom. The answer was $600. That is how the BEP Incoming Corps Member Grant was born, making it possible for every Black incoming corps member from 2020 - 2022 to receive a $600 grant to help with their transition into the classroom.
Certification & Testing Support
We targeted 10 regions with especially high certification costs and/or high percentages of Black corps members, and provide additional funds to support Black corps members with certification. Supports include, but are not limited to, paying/reimbursing for testing, supplying study materials, and paying outstanding fees to release corps member transcripts necessary for certification.
Retention Programs
The Black Educators Promise Initiative invests in retaining Black educators teaching in our network beyond their two-year commitment and into a 3rd and 4th year.
3rd Year Teaching Grant
The BEP Alumni Grant is a $1000 award to 2nd-year corps members who commit to teaching a 3rd year in a predominantly low-income school.
Alumni Fellowship
BCA launched the Black Educators Promise Alumni Fellowship for 4th & 5th year educators in the summer of 2021 to provide professional development and 1-1 coaching. The BEP Fellowship is made possible through partnership with The Children’s Defense Fund and Profound Ladies who provide professional development, coaching & cohort support for our Fellows. The Fellowship is currently available to all Black TFA alumni who teach in our 22 Eastern districts.
Our Community Partners
We are intentional about partnering with organizations and community influencers that align to our mission. Together with our partners, we work hand-in-hand to strengthen the movement for educational equity and excellence. To become a community partner of BCA, email Tamila Gresham, Senior Managing Director, Black Community Alliances.
The Alliance's Community Partners
Learn more by choosing a partner's logo from the selection below.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. develops leaders, promotes brotherhood and academic excellence, and provides service and advocacy for communities.
The Children's Defense Fund
The Children’s Defense Fund Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.
Profound Ladies
We recruit and retain Black, Indigenous, Women of Color and then equip women with the mentorship, training, leadership and career development pathways so their students will experience the impact of a thriving woman of color leading in classrooms, schools and communities.
Messy Roots
Support male educators of color on their journey to find peace, be present, and fulfill their purpose through mindfulness leadership development through small-group and 1-1 leadership coaching and wellness opportunities.
Congressional Black Caucus
Since its establishment in 1971, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has been committed to using the full Constitutional power, statutory authority, and financial resources of the federal government to ensure that African Americans and other marginalized communities in the United States have the opportunity to achieve the American Dream.
The Center for Black Educator Development
To ensure there will be equity in the recruiting, training, hiring, and retention of quality educators that reflect the cultural background and share common socio-political interests of the students they serve.
The Alliance's Teacher Recruitment Partners
Learn more by choosing a partner's logo from the selection below.
The New Teacher Project
TNTP’s mission is to end the injustice of educational inequality by providing excellent teachers to the students who need them most and by advancing policies and practices that ensure effective teaching in every classroom.
Urban Teachers
At Urban Teachers, our mission is to improve educational and life outcomes of children in urban schools by preparing culturally competent, effective career teachers who accelerate student achievement and disrupt systems of racial and socioeconomic inequity.
Stories and Media
In the News
Efforts to Close Achievement Gap Have Ignored Black Educators
A piece in Essence by Brittany Packnett on how Black educators are fighting for our children.
Educator Leading the Charge to Take Down Confederate Monuments
Read about Tami Sawyer, a Memphis native, and her work to take down her city’s Confederate monuments.
Millennial Teachers of Color Will Change Public Schools – If Given The Chance
A report by the Brookings’ Brown Center Chalkboard blog about the power of teachers of color in America’s increasingly diverse classrooms.