Communal Healing: Finding Reprieve through Black Educators’ Acts to Support Each Other

• In Event: Codifying Systemic Repair: Policy Possibilities Toward Black Educator Healing

Abstract

Objective/Purpose: We consider how Black teachers may be supported in healing after being subjected to anti-Black incidents. The co-presenters will share a story about how they navigated their relationship after one of the presenters, Izzy (pseudonym), was subjected to anti-Black harassment at their school building. Izzy turned to her professors and non-district personnel in search of support as her school setting seemed to gaslight her about the harm to which she was subjected.

Theoretical Framework/Literature Review: In Minnesota, our context, Black teachers leave the profession at higher rates when compared to their white colleagues. Black teachers have faced challenges like social isolation, role entrapment (e.g., being positioned as the disciplinarian), and racialized microaggressions (Stanley, 2024. p. 3). Black teacher turnover has been policy actors’ focus (Madkins, 2011; White et al., 2020) because Black educators’ support students’ healing (Kokka, 2023), critical consciousness (Burgess et. al, 2021), and sense of protection and belonging (McKinney de Royston et al., 2021). Qorsho Hassan, 2020 Minnesota teacher of the year, a Black woman, and the first Muslim American awardee, shared the sentiments of many Black educators in the state. In her 2022 story, about the need for rest, she described the disproportionate and unpaid burden placed on Black teachers to be anti-racist leaders (Dernbach, 2022). Ms. Hassan’s experiences emulate an imperative in illuminating implications for Black educators’ collective healing.

Methods: We used conversational methods to capture Izzy’s ongoing healing process. Izzy’s reflections are ripe with the messiness of healing. Our conceptualization of messiness is an oscillation between emotions of rage, fear, hope, purpose, and love. We collectively deemed a conversational reflection would be an appropriate method to capture messiness and give space for Izzy to share the aspects of her story that would be important to continue to heal. Additionally, we wanted to tap into Dumas and ross’ (2016) turn toward “letting Black people move on” (p. 430) and draw on implications for healing pathways despite anti-Blackness. This is a throughline in all presentations.

Results: Note, our findings are initial and exploratory. In a pre-conversation reflection from the project, Izzy wrote:

I am learning that normalcy will not ever be my reality after experiencing something so traumatic and healing is coming to terms with that. Healing has been learning that I am not powerless regardless of how these institutions have made me feel. More importantly, healing has been leaning into my community… For months, I have desperately sought support from my school administrators, union representatives, colleagues, and district leaders to recognize and validate my feelings but they all failed to do so. I am grateful to have a community that has provided me comfort and solidarity.

To Izzy, healing has been present in her turn toward leaning into community, co-learnings, and relationships.

Significance: Ultimately, educational policy actors would benefit from taking actions based on Black teachers' reflections on how anti-Blackness influences their ability and capacity to remain in the profession(Benson et al., 2021; Carter et al., 2022; Garcia et al., 2022).
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Authors

• Nathaniel D. Stewart, University of Minnesota

• Iman A. Mohamoud, University of Minnesota