Black Community

Season 2, Episode 1: The Purest Form of Activism

Host Jonathan Santos Silva speaks with leaders and educators from The Center for Black Educator Development in Philadelphia about how to create safe spaces that value and invest in young Black leaders.

Jonathan Santos Silva

Hosted by Jonathan Santos Silva

A teacher wearing an orange shirt stands at the blue desk of two students

DACA Changed My Life–But Undocumented Youth Deserve More

DACA provided some relief to many undocumented youth but its future is uncertain. It is past time for Congress to create lasting protections and a path to citizenship.

Jose Gonzalez headshot

José González Camarena

Senior Managing Director of the DACA Initiative at Teach For America

Teach For America alumni José González Camarena (Los Angeles ‘14) Kareli Lizárraga (Colorado ‘13), Vanessa Luna (Los Angeles ‘14), Jaime Ballesteros (Los Angeles ‘14), and Kasfia Islam (Houston ‘14) rallied outside the U.S. Supreme Court as justices heard oral arguments on DACA in November 2019.

In This Vision of Education, Students Are Empowered to Love Learning and Themselves

Ebony Payne Brown is working to open a charter school in Atlanta with rigorous academics, where students feel loved and their identities are celebrated.

Aggie Ebrahimi Bazaz headshot

Aggie Ebrahimi Bazaz

Managing Director, Film + Video Projects

Marquita Brown

Marquita Brown

Senior Editor, One Day Digital

Photo of Ebony Payne Brown, a Black woman, wearing a teal dress on a geometric background

How Afrocentric Lessons Teach Black Kids to Love Themselves

K-12 students typically learn about history through a lens that erases or minimizes the contributions of people of color.

Joseph Edelin headshot

Joseph Edelin

Public Speaker and Educator

Photo illustration of a vertically cut image of Black students to make it look like stack of books with stars and colors around the photo

Children Will Ask Questions About Race. How Will Teachers Answer Them?

A Columbia, Missouri kindergarten teacher who nurtures inquiry and teaches children about equality says new laws won’t prevent students from asking questions and standing up for what’s right.

Dawnavyn James, a Black woman, in a yellow dress stands in front of a blue wall while holding books parallel to her face

Dawnavyn James

Early Childhood, Elementary, and Black History Educator

A photo illustration of a student with a pencil in their hand and looking up as if looking at a teacher with notebook paper on a yellow background with a thought bubble with three dots

Culturally Inclusive Books Inspire Students to Become Change Agents

Georgia students participating in a Read Woke book club, founded by Cicely Lewis, are empowered to create and lead programs that promote social change in their high school.

Aggie Ebrahimi Bazaz headshot

Aggie Ebrahimi Bazaz

Managing Director, Film + Video Projects

A thumbnail with a teal and yellow background and two images of Candace. One of her reading a book and another of her speaking into a microphone

Afro-Latinx Students Navigate Racism and Erasure in the Classroom

Schools need more resources and data to ensure Afro-Latinx students are being represented and understood.

Stephanie García headshot

Stephanie García

Writer-Editor

An illustration of different Afro-Latinx people fractures with a piece of paper and an eraser mark

If You Aren’t Black, What Are You?

What does it feel like to be Black and Latina in a classroom when intersectional identity often isn’t perceived?

Ser Álida Reyes headshot

Ser Álida Reyes

MFA Candidate in Fiction, University of Mississippi

An illustration of afro-latinx students with pieces of notebook paper behind them on a blue background

For Some Black Students, COVID-19 Is Spurring Interest in Health Care Careers

The struggles and losses of the pandemic have highlighted the importance of health care and the need for diversity in the medical field.

Jasmine Vaughn-Hall headshot

Jasmine Vaughn-Hall

An illustration of a yellow heart with a navy heartline going into a stethoscope and navy and yellow bandaid on a teal background

New Narratives Are Necessary for True Diversity in Children’s Books

The number of books featuring Black characters is increasing, but they need to tell stories that aren’t overshadowed by race, racism, and struggle.

Ekene Okolo

Ekene Okolo

Co-founder, Black in PUSD

Nene Okolo

Nene Okolo

Co-founder, Black in PUSD

A colorful graphic of a young Black student seeing their identity reflected in a book.
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