‘We Been Doing This Work’ Call To Action Towards Rebuilding The Black Teacher Pipeline

• In Event: Beyond the Shortage: Racial Justice and Solidarity in the Future of Teaching

Abstract

Black Teachers have functioned interchangeably as teacher-leaders who provide tools
(theory and practice) to combat hegemonic oppression within our society, sometimes referred to
as the legacy of Black teaching excellence. Many serve with teaching philosophies based upon
the Black Teaching Tradition (BTT), one of many conceptualizations of the legacy of Black
teaching excellence liberatory education among Black teachers. The classroom is an
intergenerational village. The subject matter is the collective map, and consciousness is the
guide. Black Teachers emphasize the importance of culturally centered facilitation, combining
aesthetics, historical analysis, contemporary relations, intellectual rigor, communal
responsibility, and academic integrity. This research illuminates the importance of recruiting and
retaining Black Teachers. It contributes to the call to action by cultivating more Black Teachers
grounded in the evidence that they are more than valuable and needed in front of the classroom
for children, especially Black children.

Author

• Kenya C. Ramey, Virginia State University