E’ry day this month, the Center for Black Educator Development, in partnership with Phillys7thWard.org, will highlight a Black Educator Hall of Famer. But, don’t forget, e’ry month is Black History...
Tag - positive racial identity
Late this winter, just before the world turned upside down, we sat down with two people we admire. Sharif El-Mekki, 26-year veteran educator, founded the Center for Black Educator Development. Mario Shaw, newer to the game but...
When we discuss Black History, many people begin at the enslavement era. Starting the history of Black people from the aforementioned limits how young people will view the agency of people of African descent. However, if we start...
Last year, we reached the 300 milestone for published blogs. Time flies, but we know that progress often doesn’t. There were many articles that resonated with our readers. Below I highlighted the top ten. Enjoy a read or a...
When I saw this picture, I thought it is a dramatic illustration of the importance of little Black girls seeing themselves in children’s books! This picture of Michelle Obama is telling this girl that she can be anything she...

Principals, If You Don’t Include Questions About Race, Class, and Privilege During Your Interviews, You Are Failing.
Principals, if you don’t have your staff hired and ready for back to school, you have my sympathy. As all school leaders know, the best hiring season for teachers is early in the calendar year (around January to March). At...
A very successful educator sent me a text not long ago that said that all of the deans in a particular school are Black males. It raised an interesting and perennial question: Why are so many deans Black men? Is managing school...
“The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.” —Steve Biko Few things are more important than the fertile minds of our children. On the commemoration of the martyrdom of Steve Biko...
On Friday, May 19 many Black communities celebrated Malcolm X’s birthday. A few years ago, Toure wrote an important piece entitled, We Need A Malcolm X Day. In the TIME article, Toure writes: “I wonder if there’ll ever be...
According to the School District of Philadelphia, over 70% of its students are children of color while only 13% of students are white. But, I am still trying to figure out how schools, full of thousands of Black and Brown...