Why I started a hackathon for Black and Brown educators: A call to action
As teacher appreciation week comes to a close, I recognize the challenges faced by Black and Brown educators in the past year are remarkable and create a unique opportunity.
The social and economic impacts of white supremacy culture has sparked global outrage. The murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd have renewed a centuries-long debate about who can be recognized as human and whose life matters. In the days since the violent coup on the U.S. Capitol, efforts to restrict the rights of Black and Brown people are transparent.
In this time, educators can ideate to bring a fresh blow to a teetering white supremacy. The pandemic has created the opportunity for us to act boldly to disrupt the system; to move swiftly and to steer towards true emancipation.
Educators who are, or are called to serve, those most impacted by systems of oppression must not lose sight of the greater mission. They must develop ideas for programming, policies, and tools to create a society where everyone can learn.
At this time, too few of the policies, practices or schools for Black and Brown students are created or run by Black and Brown people. In this time, we must create an atmosphere that promotes solutions created by people of color for the benefit of people of color. Educational entrepreneurship is the answer.
Ignoring the impact of white privilege and internalized racism is like ignoring a rotten foundation.
The National Center for Education Statistics reports that the black male educators make up just 2% of educators nationally, with the number of Latinx male educators being even fewer. Too many inspirational Black and Latino people yearn to impact young people who look like them; however, they are denied equal access. So many potential leaders and entrepreneurs are met with closed doors and limited opportunities to impact systemic change — can Black and Brown people afford to seek validation from white institutions? In the daily workplace, as well as in entrepreneurial spaces, white supremacy — which takes on many forms — makes it difficult to challenge the oppressive systems constantly at play but we must continue to be bold.
For decades, racism has built endless barriers that have dictated where people of color can be educated, the conditions of their work, and where they could live. This systemic discrimination has led many Black and Brown people to adopt racist belief systems and has marred many individuals and communities byleading them to accept the dominant, racist narratives about themselves.
Our internalized racism may lead us to believe we do not have all the tools we need to change the world, or even worse, that there is nothing to be changed. Aligning ourselves with white supremacy culture does not serve us. This moment represents an opportunity for us to challenge belief systems through collaborative action. We need a new vanguard that would address how white supremacy permeates every facet of society and how it continues to affect Black and Brown people.
Therefore, it is time to (re)imagine education: (re)introducing EmancipatED
This Juneteenth, we will hold the 2nd annual EmancipatED, a hackathon for educators of color to foster creative problem-solving. A hackathon is a collaborative project-based learning experience focused on the creation of artifacts and ideas that can be used for liberatory education experiences. We will develop ideas for new programming, policies, and tools to inspire students of color. We can take advantage of this format to drive the system towards justice, so we are inviting Black and Brown educators from across the U.S. to unite and focus on the issues of freedom that affect all of us.
Last year, over 80 educators attended our program. Educators from all across the country and the world came together to discuss issues of justice that affect all of us — and even more directly our students. We developed solutions for student leadership, special education and school culture and curriculum. We created a liberatory space for healing as we confronted the ways systemic issues impact education. The process was exhilarating and the participant feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
The goal of EmancipatED is to create a space for entrepreneurialism that empowers people of color to ideate away from the structures of white supremacy and privilege. We have each other, and our power lies in our willingness to take collective action.
EmancipatED is the new vanguard. More details of this hackathon will be shared soon, but for now, please follow EmancipatEDU on Instagram to learn more.