Black Teachers Matter is an initiative started by Akiea Gross to shed light on the necessity of Black teachers in the American education system and beyond.
Community Matters
With Black Teachers Mentor, we are bringing aspiring and new Black teachers and veteran mentor teachers together in an effort to foster a community of support, both personally and professionally.
Building our own community of support matters because our experiences as Black educators in an inequitable education system are uniquely different than those of our white colleagues.
Equity in Action
Being a Black teacher in the American education system IS equity in action. Ensuring that our students have the everyday opportunity to see themselves--to have representation in their classrooms, is part of how we are fighting to improve racial and cultural inequities in our schools.
Nevertheless, keeping Black teachers in classrooms is just as difficult as recruiting them. Teacher attrition for Black teachers is high, and more often than not, the trauma that teachers experience in their schools, is a major contribution to this problem.
By bringing Black-identified teachers and teacher leaders together in community, we are able to openly discuss the ramifications and realities of teacher trauma with empathy as our foundation.
With this system of support, we can collectively begin to brainstorm ways in which we can disrupt and improve inequitable conditions in our classrooms and schools from within.