Send us a text In this episode, we unpack how we navigate everything from being hired into spaces that claim to value diversity but lack the necessary infrastructure to support Black teachers, to experiencing racial gaslighting that undermines our professional and personal experiences. We dive deep into how we confront and cope with the toxic behaviors and microaggressions that often go unchecked in these spaces. How do we maintain our sense of self and continue to show up for our students, while also protecting our well-being in environments that were not built with us in mind? Tune in to hear our stories and gain a deeper understanding of the emotional labor Black women educators carry every day. Find the scholarship we explore here: Ruha Benjamin's Imagination a Manifesto https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/imagination-ruha-benjamin/1143473094?ean=9781324020974 Natalie Morris' "What is ‘racial gaslighting’ – and why is it so damaging for people of colour?" https://metro.co.uk/2020/06/18/what-racial-gaslighting-why-damaging-people-colour-12866409/ Jacquelyn Ogorchukwu Iyamah's Racial Gaslighting 101 https://www.instagram.com/p/CA82O3YlqUS/ Letisha Engracia Cardoso Brown's Say Her Name: Centering Black Feminism and Black Women in Sport https://www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/search-results-grid/?contributor=letisha-engracia-cardoso-brown This is difficult work that we're doing, and even though we can't always be with you to bear witness, trust us, we know... Welcome home!…

Send us a text The Jezebel and the Sapphire are caricatures of Black women that continue to cause harm today. Hang out with us as we discuss these enduring caricatures and the stereotypes they have planted in society as well as the treatment of Black women they have caused. From Megan the Stallion and Sojourner Truth to Black women educators, there is a consistent invisible weight that we carry as we try to navigate a world stacked against us. Find the scholarship we discuss here: Sharena Stevenson's "Black Female Educator: Underappreciated, Overworked, and the Indelible Quest for Agency Within the Educational System" https://irl.umsl.edu/dissertation/1428/ Tyah-Amoy Roberts' "Black Woman Ungendered: How Society Failed Megan Thee Stallion" https://ojs.stanford.edu/ojs/index.php/theword/article/view/1983 This is difficult work that we're doing, and even though we can't always be with you to bear witness, trust us, we know... Welcome home!…

Send us a text What do we bring with us as adults working in predominantly white suburban institutions, when we spent our formative adolescent years in such similar environments? In today's episode, we reflect on our own high school years and how those experiences shaped, not only our adolescence, but our ongoing work as educators. We offer a unique perspective on the challenges and triumphs of educating the next generation in spaces where we once felt isolated. From navigating microaggressions and cultural dissonance to developing resilience and self-advocacy, we share personal stories and insights on how our high school selves inform the Black women educators we are today. Join us for a conversation about the impact of these environments on both personal and professional growth. Check out the scholarship we discuss in this episode: Signithia Fordham's “Those Loud Black Girls”: (Black) Women, Silence, and Gender “Passing” in the Academy. https://doi.org/10.1525/aeq.1993.24.1.05x1736t Joy L. Lei's "(Un)Necessary Toughness?: Those "Loud Black Girls" and Those "Quiet Asian Boys" https://doi.org/10.1525/aeq.2003.34.2.158 This is difficult work that we're doing, and even though we can't always be with you to bear witness, trust us, we know... Welcome home!…

Send us a text Introducing, Black Women Be Knowing, the podcast where we talk teaching in the 'burbs. Join us as we unpack the struggles of being two of the only Black women in our school and the emotional tole they take as we endure tokenism, microaggressions, and beyond! This week we will be discussing G.T. Reyes' (2022) article "A love letter to educational leaders of Color: “CREWing UP” with critical whiteness studies" and how having kin in a treacherous work environment is crucial to our survival. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09518398.2022.2061073 This is difficult work that we're doing, and even though we can't always be with you to bear witness, trust us, we know... Welcome home!…

Send us a text Join us every other Saturday starting this Saturday, Feb 8th as we dive into the lives of Black women educators working in the suburbs! This is difficult work that we're doing, and even though we can't always be with you to bear witness, trust us, we know... Welcome home!