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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie reminds us of the danger of a single story. Please keep in mind that this digital poster is a curation of resources built from my worldview--a perspective that is ever evolving as I continue to learn and grow. This critical work remains fueled by personal experiences of joy and pain.

Please view this project as a symbol or culmination of my learning around the topic of of Social Justice Leadership. Through my own adverse childhood experiences and shared stories from my classroom, family, and community, I have experienced the ultimate paradigm shift in the context of educational equity and rapidly growing diversity around me. The story I tell here reveals my present understanding and is in constant transformation as I hear the stories of a diverse group of leaders committed to equity and social justice.

Story telling, whether the story of "us" or the sharing of personal narratives fosters empathy and deepens understanding.

In Carolyn Shields article,  "Transformative Leadership," we are reminded that "having the courage to address, head-on, situations that are unjust and marginalizing is not easy." Social Justice Leadership is anything but easy and transformational change starts with courage to speak truth to power.

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story | TED

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Transformation Begins with a Deep Look at History

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Transformation Begins with a Deep Look at History

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Christopher Emdin, social justice leader and urban education scholar, reminds us that powerful terms like 'transformation' and 'culturally relevant curriculum' alone is not enough to make change. To effectively address the complex issues at the root of our country's racist history. With a focus on equity, we can learn and create opportunities to support all children in our classroom. Educating ourselves is one way to get past the barriers to justice and beyond the rhetoric.

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Angela Davis: Social Justice Leader and Feminist

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Angela Davis: Social Justice Leader and Feminist

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A Walk in my Shoes by K.State College of Education

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Social Justice in Education Documentary Trailer

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Colin Kaepernick will forever be remembered for his Social Justice Leadership. Kaepernick knelt during the anthem for the first time in 2016 to protest injustice. He sparked a movement that took the world by storm, forcing people around the world to take notice on issues around police brutality and senseless murders in the African American communty. It takes courage to stand for a cause even if it means loosing things that are important to in the process.

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Leadership that Inspires Others to Join the Movement Towards Equity

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Leadership that Inspires Others to Join the Movement Towards Equity

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Social Justice Leadership has its sights on equity. In the US, throughout history, artists, educators, and grass-roots organizers have successfully affected change. Social Justice Leadership is embodied by influential leaders, Ella Baker and Angela Davis. Baker and Davis aligned their efforts with grass-roots organizing skills with the Civil Rights Movement, pressing for change in the fight for African American rights and the rights of all women. Over the years, many brilliant scholars have cultivated a following utilizing courage and notoriety to bring international awareness of injustice. The globalization of access to information and sharing ability has expanded exponentially, enabling leaders with a cause to reach and organize in large numbers. Beyond political figures, artists are activists by nature, leading masses of followers to join the movement towards equity.  These are social justice leaders.

Hiphop was born in the poverty stricken South Bronx and utilized as a tool of expression, embracing African American culture, while exposing the issues that African American communities continue to endure. HipHop giant, Sean 'Puffy' Combs, used his celebrity as a platform when he told us to Vote or Die! With power comes voice and with voice we are no longer silenced. Diddy's campaign inspired many to register and vote for the first time, aiming to motivate and mobilize, fighting for equity.

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Be an ally and lead with courage.

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Social Justice Leaders are critical thinkers and [inspired by those who have blazed the path before them] change makers who spot inequities,  mobilized and committed.

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Social Justice Leaders are critical thinkers and [inspired by those who have blazed the path before them] change makers who spot inequities,  mobilized and committed.

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Buffalo native and fellow activist, Susan Anglada Bartley, is a Social Justice Leader, educator, organizer, and author who prioritizes equity and justice, speaking truth to power in her classroom and oftentimes, taking to the streets. In this article Bartley interviews our friend in common, Edreys Wajed, local artist and innovator.

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By Susan Anglada Bartley
This is Edreys. Edreys is loyalty. Edreys is honesty. Edreys is visual art. Edreys is music. Edreys is poetry. Edreys is vision. Edreys is courage. Edreys is working on a series of murals throughout Buffalo, NY - some commissioned by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery for the Wall of Freedom, a public art project employing three Black artists and an Asian artist to portray twenty-eight Black intellectuals and revolutionaries in murals that are accessible to the community, and some on walls that Edreys pursues independently.

As I drive down Main Street in Buffalo, N.Y. to meet Edreys, listening to the great rock album Lost in the Dream by The War on Drugs, my mind can't help but wander back to the early days of my friendship with Edreys. More than 20 years ago we, a wild band of creative, rebellious, mostly lower-middle class or working class young people, lit the upstate New York Hip Hop scene. In the time before cell phones, we walked or skateboarded the economically depressed city in search of life, in search of music, in search of culture. Sometimes, we found a house or abandoned building where we could set up speakers, running electrical cords in through a neighbor's house, in order to spin records and dance all night. Occasionally, the scene met in my Mother's living room while she was out of town - the boom bip shaking the floorboards while kids from all over the city raged to the newest sounds. Now famous fashion designer Mara Hoffman (who, from-a-distance, seemed like an albeit brilliant upper-class girl with connections who would probably go to New York and make it big - and did) was the creative Queen of the Rave scene, showcasing her early constructions in any empty warehouse we could find.

I remember spending great lengths of time weaving fake hair into my own to create two giant Princess Leah buns that stuck out on each side of my head like Madonna's conical brassiere, then covering my entire upper body in glitter. I remember waking up like that more than once. In those years before the movie KIDS added a critical lens to the life we were living, we lived a renegade life strictly for the culture. At that time, Edreys Wajed, Amilcar Hill, Jeremy "Cochise" Ball and a few others were the creative seeds, or shall I say Kings, of the upstate Hip Hop scene. Where they were was where the heart of the scene was. At that time, now multi-platinum producer for the likes of Eminem, Adele, and Lana Del Rey (to name a few), Emile Haynie was an eager, chill, skinny white boy who followed them around, learning everything he could about Hip Hop, and who I rode around with on my gold low-rider bicycle, looking for good walls for graffiti, Haynie's early passion. As I drive toward Edreys, my mind flashing to the past, I am alerted by the lights of many police cars lined up on the street just before E.Amherst Street, where I need to turn to meet Edreys at the site of a mural he is creating on a wall (with Nick and Chris of Team Razorwire) in the Rent-A-Center parking lot on Bailey Avenue.

The site and sounds of the police cars are a visceral reminder of the grim socio-political circumstances that Edreys survives. While Buffalo is going through a period of tremendous economic revitalization, rates of incarceration and poverty for Black men are extremely high. As I trip back into the present from my Hip Hop reverie, I can't help but note my mind's own natural juxtaposition - Mara Hoffman dressing models on high fashion runways in Paris, Emile Haynie jaunting between his house in the Hollywood Hills to work in the studio with Adele, and Edreys - polymath, artistic genius, seed, and fertilizer of the Buffalo Hip Hop movement, standing with his Mother, his aunt, and his wife and fellow artist Alexa near the brick wall he is transforming on Bailey Avenue in Buffalo, New York. I look forward to asking Edreys how he feels race, class, and privilege both impact him as an artist and engender and deepen his perspective.

As I meet his Mother, Hawwao Wajed, I develop a lump in my throat just thinking about the courage required to raise a Black male in this society. How did her parenting produce such a successful person who not only continues to evade a system that we know intentionally hyper-polices, criminalizes, and imprisons Black men at exceedingly high rates, but also has the self-esteem to be an artist, a Father, a husband, a writer, and an educator? How does he view his upbringing, his role as an artist in post-industrial city? How does he define courage, self-esteem, self-confidence? How does he define the role of the artist within the context of oppression? What is his message?

This is Edreys. There is no Edreys without Alexa, fellow artist and high school sweetheart who is now the Mother of his children. Together, they stand at the site of one of his many Buffalo, New York murals. Together, they stand for artistic transformation inside a climate of post-industrial decay; their love is a redemption song. Together, they stand unified in hope for the children of their community, for the future, for artistic principles that Edreys defines in the interview I present to you here.
S: What do self-esteem and self-confidence mean to you?
E: Eeek...Man...Wow! Some people just have it! Is it as difficult to pinpoint as having artistic ability? I think we all may have it at an early age. Kids start to learn about what they can't do. People impose what they can't do - parents, teachers - then they believe that.
S: How did you gain self-confidence and self-esteem given the environment that you came up in, both the historical moment and the post-industrial urban context which often marginalizes and criminalizes Black men?
E: I exhibit it (self-esteem) from time to time, but I can't say my self-esteem is at a clean bill of health...if I went to the self-esteem doctor, I'm sure they would prescribe me something! I'll say this - my upbringing was very different than most. Like with my artistic ability - I was always very interested in the arts and I didn't know that it was special because that is not something that I did with my peers. I did things with my peers that every other peer could do. I played basketball, played football, run...you know, climb. I did those sorts of things, but when it came to drawing, I usually did it on my own, sort of a silo by myself, but I assumed that everyone was capable of doing that. So you add on to that my name-Edreys. I didn't like my name. Again, I wanted to be, kinda, normal. I came home one day...like sixth grade or something and told my mom I wanted to change my name. She was like, why? I told her because nobody can pronounce it. It was kind of embarrassing because it was so weird. People would look at you. Teachers would look at you - tear your name apart. My Mother asked me what would you rather your name be? So I thought Eric was always a cool name. My Mother was like, until you come up with a better name than Eric, get out of my face...that's pretty much what she said.
S: Do you think your Mom was tough on you?
E: Um...yeah. Tough on me. Where should I start though. Here is what I didn't understand as a kid. I didn't understand what it was like to be a single, Black woman in, and you can put in any urban setting, I just happened to be in Buffalo, but take a single Black woman, raising two children, divorced. You add on to that the points of reference you mentioned - the climate. And then you add on to that, let's see, my Mom was 31 when my parents separated. So take a 31 year old single Black woman working however many jobs. I remember her working quite a few. I mean she went to college. She had a degree and everything. You add on to that a long line of divorcees in my family in particular because when I was growing up, my Mom was like one of nine and I don't remember a single person being married, but I had several cousins...so it was like the culture within our family. So what I didn't know as a kid was how frustrating that could be, because all I knew was that I was a kid. Now, unfortunately, I think that I bore the brunt of her frustration with my Dad. You know....because she would say things - with or without harm - but they were harmful to me. She would say, "you're just like your Father!" Most of that was genetic, I think. I wasn't around my Dad to emulate him. You know? (laughs) I wasn't around him to know that he chewed his gum in a particular way or made up songs all of the time as he washed dishes. I didn't know that. So anyway all of that plays into self-esteem. I had to come to grips with that, yes. I was different in several ways. I really could never find my tribe.

(Of the hundreds of drawings Edreys posts on his Instagram page, many are meditations on Black masculinity through the use of line and high contrast.)

(Cont.) Outside of sports and stuff, I don't really think I ever found my tribe that walked to the same beat as me, but the arts, music, visual arts, drawing, painting, those were the things that defined Edreys for me. You know. When people started to say, Edreys - oh the one that draws? That's how I started to define myself. I knew those were the things that I had control over because I didn't have control over much. The self-esteem part comes into that. When I'm in control of where my power lies, where my skills set is, of my time and what I'd doing with my time...wherever your strength lies, whether it is writing, or thinking, or dancing...most of the stuff is in the arts, some sort of art-related thing. There are no doubts there. The only doubts there are like I told you...when you asked me about self-confidence and esteem, I'm not quite sure that I have it, but at that point I am the only person that I have to get by. It's me. There is no one telling me that I can't do anything. And it's especially tough if it comes from parents - I get parenting wrong all of the time. In my situation, I don't think I was able to flourish like I wanted to because my Mom was being the best parent she could be. She had the same philosophy as everybody else. Go to school. Get a good job. You know that story. I remember when Alan (Drummer, Producer, Recording Expert Alan Evans of Soulive) said hey I'm going to New York City. I was like Damn, I should go to New York City. My Mother was like, No. You are going to Buff State. I felt fully confident that I could go to New York City and make a way. Now. We can't go in reverse. Who knows. I don't have regrets though. You know. It's a learning lesson. Now, if my children say, Dad, at 18, I want to move to Oregon. Or, I want to move to California. I'm going to support that. I know how this turned out - I still ended up on the path somehow, I just took a long snaking road to get there. If I allow someone to be fully in their power...and I'm not telling them what they can't do, the world will surely dictate that to them.
S: I want to go back, not too far, to where you said, I know how this turned out...because, I'm also not a stranger. In my perspective, when I heard you say that, I'm also thinking, it doesn't seem like it has turned out yet. It seems like it still turning out. Do you think that having stayed in Buffalo and stayed in the center of post-industrial life - this landscape, it could be Cleveland, it could be Detroit, do you think that could benefit you - the fact that you actually are from here and are in the context, not of privilege but of hardship, how do your choice to stay could benefit you?
E: My vision was to gain influence outside of Buffalo in order to shine the spotlight on to Buffalo. All of the culture that people are gravitating to - people are coming from all over the world to see the architecture. People are coming from all over the world to see the canals. I wanted to provide opportunities for people like me, meaning creatives, not necessarily race-based, just artists. But what I learned is that I'm doing it in reverse. I thought I had to go out to bring it in, but instead it's almost like meditation where the light is coming from inside and shining like a beacon out.
S: So is that self-esteem?
E: I think that is a good circle.
S: As an artist, how do you deal with negative self-criticism or self-doubt if those times come up? What are the techniques that you use?
E: I have several mantras. The very 1st thing I say to myself in the morning is: every day, in every way, I get better and better through positive thought, word, and action. So that means that those things need to be aligned, what I am thinking, what I am saying, and what I am doing all need to be aligned and that is the first thing I say to myself...it is about a minute and a half, like a strand that I say to myself. These murals are symbolic in the sense that a year or two years ago I would have said to myself-how? I can't. I'm not good enough. I would say those things quietly in my mind two years ago. But now, just demonstrating through positive thought, word, and action, these murals are now the evidence of the action. There are still questions, but it is resolved by action.

I am working in my power. I look forward to coming here every day. I took a leave of absence to do this. We need money? Absolutely, but there is something that is going to stick about this, for many years.
S: I wonder if we can go inside the bus stop to get out of the rain?
E: Sure. Let's go in the bus stop.
S: I think that brings me to, how can art deal with and heal generational trauma faced by Black people in urban spaces in the United States? I'm connecting to that question through the people walking by who all stop to admire your work - what about healing and trauma? What is the role of art?
E: Wow. Well there are several levels - the first is like when I'm teaching art, I try to remove the fear. Talking about trauma...beyond even being African American..or whatever, there is trauma in the conditioning of our society. I mean how many times have you been told to sit? How many times have you been told to be quiet? Shut up? You know, people learn differently, but the conformity and the constraints of education in general try to make everyone the same. That is traumatic when you have a brilliant kid or a brilliant mind. Recently a friend of mine texted me a picture of her son's artwork and the teacher wrote on his drawing - wrote ON THE DRAWING - this is inappropriate. I didn't pay attention to what was written. My concern was the disrespect of this person's artwork. You can't walk in the MET or the MOMA or the Albright and write on somebody's artwork. You mean to tell me there was no better way for the teacher to resolve that? When I do art - teach art - I try to remove the fear. By high school, they are so conditioned to believe there is a right or wrong approach. No. You get to explore here...remove the fear of having to be absolute. Kids are conditioned by that trauma.
S: Every time I come to visit you at a mural site, there are people coming up to you. Why is it so powerful for people to see you transforming the neighborhood? Why is that healing? What does it do psychologically?
E: The first thing is that there is a reflection. They see themselves in me. Or they see their nephew. Or their son. So that is first. That is the connection. Because how often has it been imposed on everyone...that the Masters were all white? Like all of the Masters of the arts, were all white, from Europe...America..not knowing that many of those artists traveled to Africa, studied the art, became geniuses. You know or were seen as geniuses. So I think when they see me creating art, it's twofold. They probably haven't seen a young Black man creating art and clearly working in his power. I'm clearly doing this because that is what I was kind of cut out to do. A cab driver just drove by...so if somebody saw me driving a cab, the thought would be - oh he is driving that cab because he has to. Oh he is driving that cab because he needs the money. They don't know what the exchange is when they see me making art. They don't know if I am out here doing it because I am earning money or because I am sacrificing a salary to create something beautiful that is going to last for a long time.
S: Hip Hop in the broader sense - including all of the pillars from the early days that people don't understand - including the visual arts. Hip Hop moves inside the capitalist system including around and underneath it, but often glorifies wealth. Is there a deeper focus you would like to hear and see?
E: It's always been a glorification of what people don't have but what they are aspiring to be. Like for me, (Car horn beeps: Hey, What's up man? You see that mural right! Good to see you Bro!) So I think the people that are benefiting now are really the benefactors of the dreamers of the forefathers. So it's almost like, imagine, envisioning these things for themselves but it may not come in their time. And somehow, the children get to reap those benefits because of what the parents put out. So that is what is also shameful because people are reaping the benefits of this multi-million dollar industry, but they have no idea what was sacrificed. You line that up with civil rights, for example. How many people think of the benefits that we have based on what other people have sacrificed? How many people think when they walk into a diner - I wouldn't even have been allowed in here sixty years ago.
S: Or the two of us right here.
E: I was going to get to that. So, how many people of these generations after are reaping the benefits of the blood and sacrifices of those who could not be benefactors of the fruits of their own labor?
S: How does that thought impact your work? It seems like a deep place in you. And who gave you that consciousness? Was that your Mom?
E: I think...I think yes, you can attribute to that to my Mom...because yes, as an adult, I was able to look back and see the things that she sacrificed to take care of my sister and I. So maybe Mom had aspirations of being an attorney, a seamstress, an athlete. I don't know, but I am sure that she put something to the side to provide for us...so in that aspect, although it may have been painful the way I was raised, because I was always just told No. She always imposed her own fears on me...and again I didn't know it until I was older. As a kid, I would just see and hear No. I remember one time I told her that I wanted to be an architect...and she was like an architect? Ain't no money in architecture. So again, from the wiser person who I think knows, their word is golden to me. Without me having the ability to go and speak with an architect to see if that was not the case, I took her word, as my guardian, my Mother, the elder, I said Damn - I'm not going to do that. There was a shut down - you can't do that, you can't do that. Then you fast forward to a time where, now I'm going to graduate - what are you going to do? Now there is a long period of self-discovery - of what do I want to do? Now I am going to allow myself to do it and not care about what even my closest relatives say.

The irony is, one of my greatest cheerleaders today - you met her - my Mom. However, as a guardian, as a parent, she was more like a warden.
S: So it's a paradox.
E: Big time.
S: You and I have both known people who have died in these streets...or have gone other directions whether it was Crack Cocaine or being a "Father" to many children, but not a Father, so I'm just going to get down to the word - Warden - that word, for me, it strikes of the whole prison industrial construct. Do you think that she had to do that? Or she felt she had to do that, in order to save your life?
E: I thought about that. I pondered that. See, but here is the thing. The protective part of it, was not related to the street factors. I was out several nights in places where she may not have known...so in the aspect of her being protective or overprotective in regards to the street culture, I never got that sense from her - like I'm worried about you when you go outside - I never got that sense from her. Where she was extremely protective, which may relate to something she wasn't able to do, was she was almost protecting me from failure. She said no to things that I wanted to aspire to - as if to say that's only going to lead to heartbreak.
S: So I can hear her voice coming through you like a powerful mantra - this choice is only going to lead to heartbreak - the way that you say that is almost in her voice. So you developed other mantras of your own to counter that voice which might have been the fear of a Mother?
E: Fearlessness. That's what I had to gather - fearlessness.
S: Do you ever feel like you actually were in danger in the streets more than she knew?
E: More than she knew. Yes. Far more than she knew. And I still don't know how she did that. We never had that conversation - like Mom, how did you feel when I used to go out. I was all over the city. I was by myself. I would always leave and come by myself.

(Edreys portrays the timeless and enduring brilliance of Black women in his many line drawings showcased on Instagram @edreys)
S: Do you think that she knew you so well that she knew she needed to keep you in an intellectual challenge, regarding your future?
E: She knew I feared disappointing her. No question. With her being able to rest on that - that he is not going to go out and do anything that is going to embarrass me or disappoint me. Which is why she would allow me to go. There was no wardenship there. I never let her down in that aspect. I never came home with kids all over the place. The police never brought me home. I'm glad that you are asking me these questions because it allows me to analyze it myself. When I think about the hardship that I had to go through - it was all around dreams, in a protective sense, like, whatever trauma she had as a kid with her Mom, I think it had to affect her deeply enough that those were the points of our discord.
S: How are you changing that as a Father - and as I understand, one of the first patriarchs in your generational memory? Also, from the early days of Hip Hop - the Father Figure, Big Daddy Kane to Big Poppa, that's an extremely important role that is sometimes missing in the community that can be filled or substituted by the Father Figure archetype as represented in popular culture.
E: I agree.
S: Do you think that you have a message for young men? How are you healing that?
E: That's what I always try to message in my music. My music, since 2002 or earlier, has always been profanity free. There are two reasons behind that. I said I'm not going to make music that I would be embarrassed to show my Mother. Then, when my first son was born in 2001, that was all the more reason. I wanted to encourage and inspire. For whomever heard my music, that was what I wanted them to get out of it. One thing I dislike most about Hip Hop is when artists can poison our environment and our culture, poison the minds of our community. Poison. Capital poison. And not see themselves as a patriarch, but dismiss themselves by saying I'm not a role model. That's disappointing and disgusting to me.
S: I know in the new pieces for the Albright Knox Wall of Freedom, speaking of matriarchy and patriarchy and history, who are your representing through mural?
E: I have seven pieces - the women are Fannie Lou Hamer, Dr. Lydia T. Wright, and Harriet Tubman. The men are Malcolm X, W.E.B. Dubois, Frank Merriweather, and William Wells Brown. They lived before social media. To be able to take ownership of what people think you are. That's the Black Moses. Just think about that, if Harriet Tubman said, "I could have freed 1000 more if only they knew they were slaves". Now imagine if she took a role of a Hip Hop artist - freed herself and didn't become an abolitionist, but became a supporter of slavery. That's what that is. What if she said, "I ain't no role model". Come on! Think about that man! What if she said, "I ain't no role model - free yourself, that's what parents are for". When you have eyeballs on you, it's my opinion that you should uplift people.
S: I am reading this book by a Russian Anarchist about the theory of Mutual Aid - how animal societies, from ants to sparrows, have mutual aid. What you are saying reminds me of the theory of mutual aid - the natural tendency toward helping one another.
E: Anytime you have a platform, statistics to back that people are watching you - 2 million, 10 million, 50 million records sold. I'm just not a person who had been able to separate entertainment from duty. This (pointing to mural) is duty. I'm not into entertainment. I'm into duty. It's clear that the people who are benefitting from our forefathers are into entertainment. I'm playing Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back right now in my car. Duty. He is doing duty. I can get on this wall right here and paint 40 ounce bottles. No. I'm not going to agree to do something that doesn't fit with my morality. It comes back to self esteem. Way back when I was younger I had to become very comfortable doing what was unpopular. It's just that simple. One of two kids fasting during Ramadan while running track. Why are you fasting? What's that? It prepared me to do what was uncommon and unpopular.

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As the rain comes down in torrents around the bus stop where Edreys and I converse in the humid NY afternoon, I ask him a final question about how his art is priced and how dealers may get in touch with him. As we say goodbye, I forget to thank him for inspiring me when I was young. Thank you, Edreys. I also fail to ask my final questions - have Hoffman and Haynie purchased work? Has the Albright-Knox purchased work for their permanent collection? How about MOMA? Serious inquiries can be made to edreyswajed@gmail.com, instagram @edreys.

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By Susan Anglada Bartley This is Edreys. Edreys is loyalty. Edreys is honesty. Edreys is visual art. Edreys is music. Edreys is poetry. Edreys is vision. Edreys is courage.

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Leadership and the Arts: Inspiring Communities to Rise 

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Leadership and the Arts: Inspiring Communities to Rise 

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According to Dantley and Tillman (2010), “Schools [Museums, Field Trips, and Guest Speakers] can become the arenas of struggle among multiple points of view, ideologies, and teleology, and social justice leaders facilitate an environment where these perspectives are welcomed and given free course to be voice” (p. 22). World reknown artist, Edreys Wajed, from my home town of Buffalo, NY, is a transformational leader.  He inspires folks [many who do not frequent museums] to critically view art. Some consider Wajed to be the next Basquiat, taking a stand publicly for justice, amplifying the truth. On a Michigan Avenue 'wall', Wajed and three fellow artists, have painted their way into history with the creation of "the Freedom Wall." This giant art work sparked a transformation in a forgotten African American, redlined community. Wajed has made it clear, under no uncertain terms, that all voices will be lifted. As Sam Cook promised us decades ago, "It's been a long time comin', but a change gon' come real soon." The Wall will be remembered in Buffalo's history as a spark that set Buffalo ablaze with hope for the African American community, standing proudly-- in all its glory. Wajed believes that through art, communities can transform. Together, we know that there is NOTHING we cannot accomplish. The legacy of 28 local and national civil rights leaders, painted on the 300-foot concrete wall that stood unnoticed until now. These artists and social justice leaders have transformed the view for people within this community with this street gallery.

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Women of color have not been recognized for their contributions to Social Justice Leadership. Powerful women of great courage and strength that led masses to action for justice include Mamie Till, Rosa Parks, and Nina Simone.

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The Body Of Emmett Till | 100 Photos | TIME

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Gloria Ladson-Billings is a Social Justice Leader who inspired me to transform my practice, starting with building cultural competencies and relevant curriculum.

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Gloria Ladson-Billings - Successful Teachers of African American Children

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Dr. Tiffany Nyachae, social justice leader, advocates in Buffalo for more diversity in teaching staff in our public schools.

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A growing chorus of educators reaffirms that diversity in the teaching ranks benefits all students.

There's just one problem: Even as student populations become more diverse, the teaching force remains stubbornly homogeneous. In the Buffalo Public Schools, for example, although 67 percent of students are black or Hispanic, 85 percent of teachers are white.

Now, local education leaders hope to change that with a new program aimed at diversifying the city's teaching ranks.

The Buffalo school district is partnering with the Buffalo Teachers Federation and SUNY Buffalo State on a new program that will recruit students while they are still in high school and offer them incentives to pursue a career in education.

Students who finish the program will be given preference for jobs in the city schools - in exchange for a five-year commitment to teach in Buffalo once they graduate.

Leaders from the three organizations will officially announce the program Monday.

"We're looking for star students who recognize and appreciate diversity as Buffalo's greatest strength," said Will Keresztes, the district's chief of intergovernmental affairs, planning and community engagement. "They're the ideal future teachers that parents want for their children and they'd rather be nowhere else than in a Buffalo classroom."

Diversity in the teaching ranks has become a concern all over the country, especially as school districts struggle to close achievement gaps between racial groups.

Some educators believe that minority teachers may be better equipped to understand the cultural and social backgrounds students bring with them into the classroom, and better able help them navigate challenges that are unique to their communities.

Proponents also argue that minority teachers serve as important role models for young people of color, while also exposing white students to people of color in positions of authority.

"There has been a lot of research about teachers who have shared experiences with the students," said Kathy Wood, associate dean in the School of Education at SUNY Buffalo State. "And there's always been a shortage of those well-qualified teachers to go into urban schools - and stay in urban schools."
[RELATED: District leaders look for boost for Buffalo schools in state budget]
The discussion comes at a time when the nation's student body is becoming more diverse, with one analysis of National Center for Education Statistics data showing that students of color now make up more than 45 percent of the school population. And the student population will likely continue becoming more diverse, with the population of minority children under the age of 5 now surpassing white children.

Meanwhile, teachers of color make up just 17.5 percent of the national educator workforce.

"Without question, when the majority of students in public schools are students of color and only 18 percent of our teachers are teachers of color, we have an urgent need to act," former U.S. Education Secretary John B. King, Jr. remarked last year during a speech at Howard University.

"We've got to understand that all students benefit from teacher diversity," he added. "We have strong evidence that students of color benefit from having teachers and leaders who look like them as role models and also benefit from the classroom dynamics that diversity creates. But it is also important for our white students to see teachers of color in leadership roles in their classrooms and communities. The question for the nation is how do we address this quickly and thoughtfully?"

Part of the problem is that college campuses also tend to be predominantly white, and minority students tend to not pursue degrees in education. A study by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education showed that 80 percent of the bachelor's degrees in 2010 were earned by white students.

Those behind the push in Buffalo believe they can start to solve the problem by tapping into a largely underutilized resource - the district's own diverse student body.

The Urban Teacher Academy will welcome its first class in September, allowing ninth-graders to take career-focused classes that introduce them to the teaching profession. The program will be based at McKinley High School.

In high school, students will learn about topics such as special education and teaching in an urban school setting. They will get field experience in Buffalo classrooms, be matched with a mentor already working in the school system and graduate from high school with 12 college credits. The high school component also is in line with the statewide push for career-focused programs.

Students who want to go on to become teachers will receive a full-tuition scholarship at SUNY Buffalo State, along with financial assistance for room and board.

Upon graduating from college, the students will get preference for jobs in the district, so long as they commit to working in the city schools for at least five years.

"It's the whole package," said Philip Rumore, president of the Buffalo Teachers Federation. "The purpose of this is to offer all of the supports to students so we can get more diversity in the teaching ranks."
[RELATED: Diversity still a challenge at City Honors, despite recent efforts]
"Our partnership combines early preparation with scholarship assistance and priority employment in the district," Keresztes said. "It's a great opportunity for students who imagine themselves as great teachers."

The district has made diversifying its teaching ranks a priority since Kriner Cash became superintendent. Other efforts include a mentoring partnership with Medgar Evers College and calling on local colleges and universities to adopt programs geared at preparing graduates to teach in urban settings.

"We're well on our way to providing highly effective teachers to go back into Buffalo public schools," Wood said. "Then they will get a new generation of students excited to go into teaching and the cycle will start again."

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Buffalo looks to own students to diversify teaching force

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A growing chorus of educators reaffirms that diversity in the teaching ranks benefits all students. There's just one problem: Even as student populations become more diverse, the teaching force remains stubbornly homogeneous. In the Buffalo Public Schools, for example, although 67 percent of students are black or Hispanic, 85 percent of teachers are white.

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Healing from the Affects of Trauma of Racism and Violence

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Healing from the Affects of Trauma of Racism and Violence

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In order to lead for social justice, we are reminded by the Gooden article, "practitioners should first develop a working understanding of individual, institutional, and societal racism." The research around racism and trauma is broad and expansive. This video reminds us how important it is to begin to heal.

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Healing the Trauma of Racism and Violence | Syda Segovia Taylor

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Buffalo, NY is a city where historically underserved, African American communities continue to endure complex trauma from endless and senseless violence rooted in systemic oppression and racism. Pictured below is Thapelo Hill, my brother and brilliant artist. Thapelo was a fixture on stage, in the arts community, and on the sidewalks of our city. He walked everywhere and always showed up with a contagious smile that could change the world. He was lost to gun violence following a shooting on December 14, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. I can still hear the beat of his drum and his unmistakable presence.
Thapelo passed away five days after this random act of violence, on December 19th. When he passed, educator colleagues asked if he was in a gang---he was not. Drowning in grief, mourning with my family and community members, I sank deeper. Thapelo Hill, musician, actor, son, brother, nephew, friend, and lover of life. Thapelo is missed and the community must remember that his peers remain, filling our classroom. In a classroom poll, we recently discovered that 9 out of 10 of the African American students in my classroom had lost at least one person close to them from gun violence. Read to deepen your understanding of complex trauma and how it affects learning.

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Critical Literacies, Technology, and the Arts

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Critical Literacies, Technology, and the Arts

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Local Non Profit Organization, BCAT, serves Buffalo youth by providing beautiful spaces for learning, healing, and progress through the arts and technology, inspiring young minds.

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The mission of the Buffalo Center for Arts & Technology (BCAT), as part of Buffalo's economic revitalization, is twofold:

To keep youth in school through high school completion so they are able to take advantage of the post-secondary opportunities the "Say Yes" scholarship program makes available to them. We do this by offering high-quality and high-tech arts instruction and studio space.

To assist unemployed or underemployed adults in securing jobs with wages sufficient to support a family. We accomplish this through NYS Education Department-approved training programs that will lead to jobs in the healthcare industry.

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What is BCAT? The Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology (BCAT) is based on Pittsburgh's Manchester Bidwell Corporation, a nationally recognized arts and training center founded in 1969 by Bill Strickland. Manchester Bidwell results indicate that 85% of adults who go through its program attain

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Open this group project from a course I took recently. This will give you an overview of African American schooling before and after emancipation. Justice begins with the truth. Unjust systems can be transformed through social justice leadership. But first, explore inclusive history to experience a paradigm shift. Embrace the hard truth.

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Fighting Injustice: Social Justice and the Arts

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Cooper (2010) mentions that the typical power structure in schools is administrators at the top, teachers in the middle, and students and families at the bottom. This is problematic in schools where the majority of the students are African American, while 80% of our nation's public school teachers are White females. I have worked in the urban setting for roughly 8 years in public schools in Buffalo that serve surrounding marginalized, urban communities. The city schools serve largely African American students, in segregated schools, where inequities beg for attention. Though the large majority of White teachers report that the conflict in our schools stems from lack of interest and support from families and unmotivated/disruptive students. Research points to a different issue. The conflict in urban schools festers in cultural dissonance and is rooted in our nation's racial history. The students and families are frequently viewed through deficits in our schools, not seen as resources for solutions. Resistance is revealed through widespread refusal to acknowledge research that points to race. School leaders must abandon deficit thinking and hold teaching staff to abandon the status quo. As a transformational leader, one must abandon the status quo and we cannot do that until we talk about race.

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November 2016 | Volume 74 | Number 3
Disrupting Inequity Pages 16-22

Rick Wormeli

We all build our own version of the human story and our role in it. We proceed daily, sure that our truth is the truth, then someone commits a horrific act of inhumanity that shreds our careful constructs. Then, it happens again, and again-and again, just as it did this past year with the multiple deaths of black men after interactions with police-and then the deaths of police officers.

The normal tools of interpretation and comfort seem to be gone. Who would think that in a caring, thoughtful democracy, we needed a large political movement to remind police officers-and all citizens-of the simple truth that black lives matter? Who would think that when a police officer was asked why he shot an autistic man's caretaker-who was lying with his hands in the air asking officers not to shoot-he'd answer, "I don't know" (Rabin, 2016)?

The violence among U.S. residents of different colors, cultures, religions, and political groups has heated to new levels. Social media may have exacerbated the divisive rhetoric and fanned the flames of hatred more than in past decades, but the intense distrust and contempt, and the inability to resolve these feelings in a civil manner, didn't start with social media. They are the new normal for many.

Rather than give in to the helplessness we feel to stop racism and our collective, civic hemorrhage, every institution must examine its own role in perpetuating (inadvertently and advertently) racist thinking and policies. We can't truly create equal opportunities for all until our institutions take specific actions to end that thinking and those policies. And ground zero for an equitable, nonracist society is the K-12 classroom.

Before we consider recent examples of racism and how it affects all Americans, let's be clear: No one is born racist. Racism is learned. Just as important, racism is not insurmountable.

What We're Up Against

In response to a recent Pew Research Center report that showed white and black Americans aren't on the same page about issues of poverty and racism, blogger Rob Wile (2016) noted, "While most black people think that higher levels of poverty and lower levels of economic mobility in their communities are the fault of America's legacy of systematic racism and under-investment, more white people are content to blame black people themselves."

Five years ago, I was giving a day-long presentation to a group of teachers in the United States. During a morning break, I overheard one woman say to another, "When we get that darkie out of the White House, we'll get this country back the way it should be." The other woman replied, "You got that right."

Refusal to respect other cultures isn't confined to interactions between blacks and whites. On commercial flights, passengers dressed in Muslim clothing who are texting on their phones have been asked to leave the plane because they are making other passengers uncomfortable. And some of my Hispanic students have told me their parents have been shadowed by security personnel as they shop at stores.

Imagine if, at a dinner celebrating local Cub Scouts and their achievements, the adult leader asked everyone to bow his or her head for a word of prayer before the meal. Then he prayed into the microphone, "Praise and glory be to You, O Allah. There is no God but You. Praise be to God, Lord of the Universe, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful!" If this happened in most American Cub Scout packs, people of Christian, Jewish, and other faiths or no faiths would be offended that they were forced to bow their heads and listen to something foreign to their beliefs.

My family experienced something similar at a Cub Scout dinner. The pre-dinner prayer was full of Christian references like, "Through the one and only God, Jesus, our guiding savior, we are redeemed and made whole." This was in a diverse area near Washington, D.C., with a Scout pack full of Muslims, Jews, and people of other faiths as well as Christians. Imagine those non-Christian families' reactions to such a prayer.

I asked the leader if there might be a more inclusive prayer we could offer. She dismissed the concern. As I looked around the room at the faces of many parents and children, I saw the real lesson learned: You don't belong.

Not all disrespect and conflict is purely about race. Religious, cultural, and racial differences interweave. Stark differences result in fervent debate and divisiveness among Christians as well as among Muslims and Jews. Racism, however, is among the most insidious and deepest-running challenges of our time.

Moving Beyond Silence

Clearly, Americans must begin talking candidly together about race-starting now. We don't need to justify having focused conversations about racism in schools. I'm bothered by my own silence at times as I witness racism. After I overheard the comment about "that darkie [in] the White House," I didn't confront these women. It wasn't a proud moment; in my silence, there was tacit acceptance of racist thinking.

I'm upset at my silence about racist statements and behaviors by others that I've heard about but not witnessed personally. It might seem that because the incidents are second-hand, I'm absolved from speaking out against them. Yet, how do I reconcile that silence with my belief that each of us is free only if everyone is free? As Nelson Mandela (1995) wrote, "Freedom is indivisible; the chains on any one of my people were the chains on all of them, the chains on all of my people were the chains on me. ... The oppressor must be liberated just as surely as the oppressed" (p. 624).

Besides the stunning cruelty of racism, letting it fester serves no one, not even the predominant group. We're in this together. It's ironic, then, that we focus on labeling differences among us, particularly whether those differences are negative or positive. For example, if a teacher looks at the students before her at the beginning of the school year, it's likely she will wonder who are going to be the easiest ones to teach. Isn't the one we assume to be easy to teach the student who most reflects our own culture, or the one who looks similar to a student from last year we enjoyed teaching? We're already sorting according to built-in biases. When we wonder who'll be the hardest to teach, we often guess the students who don't look like anyone we've taught before.

Humans have built-in "other"-isms in order to protect ourselves. We categorize people in terms of ourselves and, in many cases, interpret differences from us in a negative way. ( That music they play in their homes is annoying! Can't they eat less disgusting food?) We might even think, How sad. My neighbor who worships at a different church doesn't understand the higher truth. Or for easy identification, we might resort to caricatures, versions that emphasize one or two attributes we think a cultural group has. ( All Asians are gifted mathematicians. White people who live in trailers are alcoholics.)

Principles for Brave Conversations

I sometimes question whether white educators can accept that institutionalized racism exists and whether they can do so without succumbing to paralyzing guilt about their complicity in racism's growth or becoming so overwhelmed that they give up. I sometimes question whether black teachers and parents can embrace white teachers and parents who want to do right. Can they accept whites' sincere efforts to work together to end racist practices, even if they stumble or are unintentionally offensive?

But we have to try talking with one another, because biases and quick categorizations about people who are different from us are expressions of our limited experiences with them. Such categorizations are a slippery slope into classism and racism. With more experiences with others, we flesh people out in our minds and become comfortable with them. When we spend time with quadriplegics, for instance, we come to see them as individuals first, persons with paralyzed limbs a distant second. People with a hardened stance against LGBTQ rights soften when a member of their family reveals he is homosexual.

Yet talking about racism is uncomfortable. We avoid such conversations in schools because it could stir things up that we're unprepared to handle. We might lose friends or colleagues for a while-or longer. Or we're so afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing or appearing racist that we cripple constructive opportunities to talk about race and resolve conflicts. By approaching one another with good faith and caring, we can ease these fears. As Howard Stevenson (2014) writes,

Students, teachers, parents, and educators must expect, receive, and give affection (nurturing), protection (monitoring), and correction (accountability) while they take risks to become aware of and learn to resolve racial stress and conflict in daily social interactions. Without these ingredients, the risks of racial avoidance will be too great, and the improvement of race relations and racial climates within schools too arduous to complete.

Reviewing and agreeing on the principles below can help us have candid discussions about racism with our students-or among fellow educators.

▪ Assume that, at any given moment in the conversation, the other person is doing the best he or she can. Chances are, it's true.

▪ Forgive yourself and others for making mistakes, including inexact wording, muddled thinking, or unintended use of stereotypes.

▪ Suppress hidden agendas and the urge to preach or politicize.

▪ Remain nonaccusatory when you see things differently from another. Use phrases like, "It's been my experience that ___," "Tell me more about___," or "How did faculty at your last school respond to ___?"

▪ Seek first to understand, then to be understood (Covey, 2013).

▪ If you disagree with someone, paraphrase that person's point before responding. It helps him know that his comments were heard and considered.

▪ Avoid language that blames ("If it weren't for white people. ..." "They're always speaking Spanish together, so they must not want me around." "You're blind to white privilege.") Blaming thwarts honest conversation.

▪ Don't ask anyone to speak for a whole race if there's only one student or colleague in the group from a particular culture or race.

▪ Acknowledge that candid conversation makes us all vulnerable. Teachers' inner selves are on view daily by many constituencies-students, parents, administrators, and the general public. They are also subject to self-doubts and high expectations of professionalism. As a result, they may be hesitant to open those vulnerability gates too widely.

▪ Avoid associating the quality of a colleague's teaching with exploratory comments offered in conversation about racism. A peer can be a neophyte in such conversations, but effective in the classroom.

The questions in Figure 1 can help start robust conversations in school communities. As to how to launch these discussions, I don't recommend starting conversations on racism at a large faculty meeting. This often results in side conversations, cross-talking, and "knowing" glances passed among people, and personal buttons may be pushed. In large gatherings, many voices and perspectives don't get heard (in fact, a few teachers might hijack the conversation with their own agendas). A thoughtful exploration of issues involving racism in the school is better started in groups of no more than six. Build to a larger group experience after conversation skills have developed.

Figure 1. Questions to Start Faculty Discussions About Racism

Does racism exist in our schools? What does it sound or look like?

What would it take to create a truly race-neutral society? Do we want this?

Am I racist? Why, or why not? Am I open to others' critique when it comes to how I relate to other races?

Does the rise of certain groups' influence-Latino, Jewish, white, Muslim, or whatever-mean a decline in other groups' well-being? If people say yes, discuss whether this represent a "zero sum" mindset. Is this a mindset we want to communicate to students?

How can we counter negative stereotypes?

Are we responsible for teaching students and colleagues to recognize and confront racism?

What should we do when we inadvertently do or say something racist?

What do we communicate to the parents of our minority students about our expectations for their children?

How are we battling the student opinion that academic proficiency is inherently white?

Do we have a disproportionate number of administrative referrals for our minority students?

Choose faculty to lead these conversations who are good at making sure each voice is heard and valued. Give these leaders time to brainstorm constructive responses or strategies to diffuse any (intentionally and unintentionally) incendiary comments. If a point becomes particularly contentious, for instance, participants might record their thinking on index cards and pass them to the facilitator to read aloud. Dozens of books and websites on group facilitation provide helpful tips on small-group dynamics. For conversing on racism, I particularly recommend Ali Michael's Raising Race Questions: Whiteness and Inquiry in Education (Teachers College Press, 2014) and Howard Stevenson's Promoting Racial Literacy in Schools: Differences That Make a Difference (Teachers College Press, 2013).

Informing Our Conversations

To build a climate where such discussions bear fruit, we should immerse students and ourselves in learning experiences that will positively inform conversations about race. Lack of awareness about other races rarely helps a difficult conversation; it leads to misunderstandings, limited sharing, hurt feelings, and eventually, a discussion's demise. Experiences like these will help us sustain difficult interactions-and bring equal opportunity to students from nonmainstream cultures.

▪ Use fiction and nonfiction that will open students to different worlds, help them see situations from different perspectives, and build empathy.

▪ Try simulations and role-playing in which students can approximate the perspectives of others, but be sensitive to the fact that some of us can leave the role at the end of the learning experience. Anyone from a minority race or oppressed group can't slip out of the challenges at the end of the day: They live with them 24-7.

▪ Have your class regularly think about a contentious issue from one prevailing perspective, then give them 20 minutes to argue the same issue from the opposite perspective. Working with partners can help.

▪ Practice responses to scenarios involving racism. What should a teacher or student do if someone says something that might be perceived as racist? For instance, in a class discussion about the economy of the South during the Civil War, one student blurts out, "I wouldn't mind having slaves around to help me get a lot of work done!" (Stevenson, 2014). A thoughtful teacher might say something like, "Tobey, consider how someone coming from a culture severely traumatized by slave masters would hear your words just now. How would they feel about your comment about slavery? Would you like to rephrase your statement?" By rehearsing successful responses, we can create a picture of ourselves responding to an instance of racism, which increases the likelihood that we will respond.

▪ Hold students accountable immediately for racist statements and behaviors. You can do so in ways that let the student repair damage: "Terry, I know you're not naturally a racist thinker. Check your statement again: Is there anything there that could be construed as racist?" If a student consistently makes racially insensitive comments and needs a nonhumiliating boost in executive function skills-which is where much of the filtering of impulsive, inappropriate comments resides-you might videotape class discussions from time to time. In a private moment away from classmates, cue up the video to a place showing inappropriate comments from this student and ask him or her, "What did you say here? Look at the body language, faces, and responses from your classmates. Did you read the situation correctly? How could you have made a completely different comment that would demonstrate respect for people of color?"

▪ Talk to students about what you believe about race and equity. Successful teachers aren't afraid of teaching a community's values; they are not indifferent. It's important to model for students a vision of adults standing up for what they think is morally right. With racism, there is little ambiguity; intentional or unintentional discrimination against a person or group based on race or culture is against the law.

▪ Teach skills of debate and civil discourse, using materials from Teaching Tolerance, the National Speech and Debate Association, and the National Institute for Civil Discourse.

▪ Don't just skim information on the Civil Rights movement and its leaders, and don't limit its study to Black History Month. Give it full attention throughout the school year. Study more than just the struggles of black Americans. Civil Rights isn't just about equitable treatment for one group.

▪ Share news stories that surface racism in the local community and in national politics. Have students investigate school or community racism, if appropriate.

▪ Empower students to do something about racism in the media (and social media) when they see it, such as writing letters, making presentations, or analyzing a racist's arguments.

▪ Expose students to artworks and contributions by many different cultures and races and let them respond personally to those artifacts.

▪ Teach students and teachers to recognize and control micro-aggressions-the small, seemingly nonracist things people do, say, and think that are hurtful and may betray unconscious racism or bias. Examples include: avoiding eye contact with students outside our culture; telling a student her math work is excellent for a student who comes from such a poor background; demeaning service industry jobs or any job perceived as being done primarily by minorities ("If you don't study, you might wind up as a taxi driver"); and using language like saying black youths "rioted and turned violent," whereas white youths "protested unfair treatment."

▪ Have students write personal reflections about racial tension. Discuss how much people filter their language in trying to say it just the right way.

Securing a Nonracist Future

Part of our job as educators is to secure a nonracist future, so our response to racism in our schools must be clear and compassionate. Settling for indifference exacerbates the problem. And we can't afford to leave anyone out of this conversation. For instance, I'm a white male, so some people might think, How could he possibly understand this enough to be helpful? Some might even dismiss my ideas because of my race alone. Think about that idea-that because of my race, I have nothing of value to add to the community discussion on racism-and you'll see it's misguided. Every one of us is touched by racism. We all have a stake in positive race relations.

A conversation needs only two people. Let's each identify, today, one person on our faculty with whom we're willing to initiate a conversation on racism, regardless of the make-up of our student body or faculty. Whole futures are at stake-ours. Together, we are powerful.

▪ Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Spiegel & Grau, 2015)

▪ Raising Race Questions: Whiteness and Inquiry in Education by Ali Michael (Teachers College Press, 2014)

▪ Scarcity: The New Science of Having Less and How It Defines Our Lives by Sendhil Mullainathan (Picador, 2014)

▪ Dream Makers, Dream Breakers: The World of Justice Thurgood Marshall by Carl T. Rowan (Back Bay Books, 1993)

▪ What's Race Got to Do with It? How Current School Reform Policy Maintains Racial and Economic Inequity edited by Edwin Mayorga and Bree Picower (Peter Lang Publishers, 2015)

▪ Reading for Their Life: (Re)Building the Textual Lineages of African American Adolescent Males by Alfred W. Tatum (Heinemann, 2009)

References

Covey, S. (2013). Seven habits of highly effective people. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Mandela, N. (1995). Long walk to freedom: The autobiography of Nelson Mandela. Boston: Back Bay Books.

Rabin, C. (2016, July 20). Cop shoots caretaker of autistic man playing in the street with toy truck. Miami Herald. Retrieved from www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article90905442.html

Stevenson, H. (2014). Promoting racial literacy in schools: Differences that make a difference. New York: Teachers College Press.

Wile, R. (2016, June 27). White people don't blame racism for black people's struggles. They blame black people. [blog post] Retrieved from Fusion at www.fusion.net/story/319381/black-white-gap-on-black-struggle/

Rick Wormeli ( www.rickwormeli.com) is a long-time teacher, consultant, and author of The Collected Writings (So Far) of Rick Wormeli: Crazy, Good Stuff I Learned about Teaching Along the Way (2013) and Summarization in Any Subject (ASCD, 2004). Follow him on Twitter.

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November 2016 | Volume 74 | Number 3 Disrupting Inequity Pages 16-22 Rick Wormeli We all build our own version of the human story and our role in it. We proceed daily, sure that our truth is the truth, then someone commits a horrific act of inhumanity that shreds our careful constructs.

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Social Justice Leadership pushes past fear and speaks the truth, simply to be heard, knowing that communities are only as sick as their secrets. McKenzie et al. (2008), reminds us of the importance of identifying the need for leaders to possess “a critical consciousness about social justice.” Through leadership, innovative people seek a better way by moving the dial forward, pressing on for equity. Writer and Social Justice Leader, activist Susan Anglada Bartley, aims to inspire readers to see  A Different Vision: A Revolution Against Racism in Public Education. From her perspective we learn about a journey she embarked upon with adolescents in the urban classroom. Anglada-Bartley offers a vision for the radical transformation of public education in the United States. She organizes and mobilizes, as a social justice leader, often quoted in local papers from the front lines of the fight for equity and justice. "The soul of public education is at stake," said Anglada-Bartley, while teaching at Grant High School, "the very concept of people in the United States having a right to free and equal education."

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Portland Students Protest Trump's Appointment for Secretary of Education

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"We think [DeVos] will be disastrous to public schools," said Callie Quinn-Ward, a junior at Grant High School and an organizer of the Portland Student Action Network, which she co-founded in November after a series of student anti-Trump protests and which includes representatives from a dozen local high schools.

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Transformational Leadership for Social Justice and Change

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Transformational Leadership for Social Justice and Change

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In August of 2018, I was elected to join the 2018 Cohort of Emerging Leaders through Open Buffalo, to learn how to be an effective Social Justice Leader.

“A diverse group of social justice educators, activists, and community leaders worked together to build a stronger, more effective team of change makers,” said Nicole Ball, 2018 Emerging Leader. “ Our learning experience set the stage for new beginnings rooted in community and shared purpose.”

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Amplifying the Voices of Youth through Music

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Amplifying the Voices of Youth through Music

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Conscious local artists, like Jeremy "Cochise" Ball,  Quiet as Kept Records, gives opportunities to young, brilliant artists in his North Buffalo recording studio. Here, their voices tell a story that is often difficult to hear. One Buffalo artist, Pistol Reef, is signed with Quiet as Kept Records, speaking the tale of a new generation of artists for whom Hiphop is life-or-death. Since its birth in the South Bronx, Hiphop has given power to the racially oppressed. Known to some only for the violent and explicit content, Ball believes HipHop has gotten a bad rap. No one can deny the power HipHop holds globally for activism and change, given its enormous popularity and diverse global following.

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Fight The Power (From "Do The Right Thing" Soundtrack)

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Beautiful Spaces: Creating Sanctuaries to Enable Learning and Healing;

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Beautiful Spaces: Creating Sanctuaries to Enable Learning and Healing;

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Bill Strickland, A Social Justice Leader who founded the Manchester Bidwell Corporation, values the power of beautiful spaces where inspiration can thrive. This link will take you on a tour of Strickland's vision of transformation in struggling communities. He believes that creating an innovative, welcoming environment shows respect for those who enter it. He reminds us that when we let people know we respect them, they will reciprocate--the first step involves building opportunities within spaces that inspire. The creation of beautiful sanctuaries results in the pure brilliance of our increasingly diverse youth. The raw energy becomes the catalyst of innovation.

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Manchester Bidwell Corporation: Half A Century Of Making People Whole

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Cooper, C.W. (2010). Educational leaders as cultural workers: Engaging families and school communities through transformative leadership. In S.D. Horsford (Ed.), New Perspective in Educational Leadership: Exploring Social, Political, and Community Contexts and Meaning (pp. 173-195). New York, NY: Peter Lang.  (chapter 9 in required text)

Dantley, M. E. (2010). Leadership and a Critical Spirit of Resistance. Culture, Curriculum, and Identity in Education,143-159. doi:10.1057/9780230105669_7

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The Urban Teacher Collaborative [UTC}: A Regional Community of Practice

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The Urban Teacher Collaborative [UTC}: A Regional Community of Practice

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When I first started teaching, armed with what I thought was all I needed to know to be successful. I quickly realized though that although I had studied beyond the curriculum, earning a Masters in Literacy, and graduating at the top of my class, I had a lot to learn if I was going to reach all of my students. As a new teacher, I was not effective and I could not manage my classroom with the policies, systems, and school wide expectations in place. Out of ignorance and desperation, I sent disruptive, disengaged, seemingly unmotivated students out of my room. [All too often] I turned to my veteran teacher peers and administrators for support. They directed me to punitive discipline protocols and many shared a disdain for teaching altogether. Out of ignorance, I believed then that the problem was the students who were disruptive and off-task. The negative culture was affecting the classroom learning outcomes. Classroom disengagement had erected a barrier to critical social, emotional, and literacy growth key to graduation and life long success. This barrier stood tall and strong like a 'wall' in front of my students. I wanted to understand the lack of student engagement, growth, and achievement and my desire to improve learning outcomes sent me to internet resources for answer. Eventually, this study led me to an urban education community of practice (CoP). This group of social justice educators was connected through Dr. Jevon Hunter, Urban Literacy and Curriculum Professor at Buffalo State College. Founded in 2015, Buffalo's Urban Teacher Collaborative provided the encouragement and space to gather regularly, sharing what works, stimulating transformation in our individual teaching practices across the city. In 2019, we continue to meet, and take risks, developing engaging curriculum, based on research, and support each other to improve our practice. We design curriculum around our community's needs and interests. We prioritize a responsive approach with our diverse students. This community of practice is an invaluable resource in the quest for equitable education in our public schools. The concept of CoP's [check out pg. 7 on this link] was first proposed by cognitive anthropologists Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger in 1991. The UTC [my CoP,] offers support and professional development of social justice leadership skills and teaching practice. Teamwork makes the dream work and we know now that we are stronger and more effective together.