Centering My Genius Reflections From Teacher Truth
Over the past 30 years, I’ve worked in schools as an educator and with out-of-school-time nonprofit organizations to support the academic journeys and social-emotional development of students K-24. Last Fall, I was hired as a consultant by BlackFemaleProject to direct special projects, including leading the Hewlett-funded Teacher Truth program. I also consult with BlackFemaleProject’s research team and document, analyze, and provide context that advances our mission. In my role, I support Black educators by helping to bring awareness to what they’re experiencing at work; providing a platform for them to express themselves; and addressing their needs through engagement with educational stakeholders.
Although I’ve had affiliations with BlackFemaleProject for the past few years, formally joining the team in September 2021 was a pivotal moment in my professional career, during which I transitioned from working with young people to working with adult women. While I’ve been mentored by many “badass” women over the course of my career and have paid it forward by mentoring many women, there was something different about this opportunity.
The opportunity and privilege of joining a team of women that sees beyond the systemic racism and oppression that Black educators endure and highlights the genius that lives in each Black teacher could not have come at a more critical time. As I simultaneously navigated the final year of my doctorate program in Educational Leadership for Social Justice at California State University, East Bay, I couldn’t ignore the intersections between my academic research and my Teacher Truth research. My dissertation, entitled “Affirming & Empowering Black Girl Identities Through Historically Responsive Literacy: Developing Positive Racialization to Counteract White Supremacy,” is framed through the theory Dr. Joy DeGruy articulates in her book Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome (2017) and highlights the work of Dr. Gholdy Muhammad in Cultivating Genius (2020). Through my research, I elevate how Historically Responsive Literacy* can remedy some of the symptoms of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome (PTSS). For me, It all begins with getting comfortable with the discomfort of sharing my story. Through my interactions with BlackFemaleProject, in addition to supporting other Black educators, I’ve been able to:
acknowledge the trauma I’ve experienced in the workplace and beyond as part of larger systemic patterns;
address those experiences through a myriad of strategies to manage my own pain and brokenness; lastly,
begin my healing journey.
I hope that my work with Teacher Truth will allow other Black educators to take a similar healing journey and access the resources they need to have an equitable and thriving experience in their career journey.
As I come to a close, I want to share a reminder with all the Black educators reading: please remember to breathe, reflect, and reset this summer. We need your genius in this world.
-Dr. E’rika Chambers
