Black Educators Matter: Project 500 Podcast

“The achievement gap is artificial.” Dr. Cardenas Shackelford K-12 Math Teacher, Site Administrator, District Administrator “School should be an integration of fun, play, and the academics, you need to have all of them.” Dr. Cardenas Shackelford has seen both the beauty and the trauma of education, and he’s made it his personal mission to protect and empower the students that he serves. As a child...

“We have a lot of power as educators.” Zataya “Shack” Shackelford Walter English / Humanities Teacher, Founding Educator, Network Administrator, School Leader “You can’t do this work without being hopeful.” What can you do to make a greater impact on the communities you serve? Educational Leader Zataya Shackelford Walter, also lovingly known as Shack, has been pursuing the answer to that question...

“How can I service these children?” Adrienne King Middle School Math Teacher “No matter what, I love myself for who I am.” As a National Board Certified Teacher with 14 years in the classroom, Adrienne reflects on her open and transparent approach changing school culture and making education more than a checkbox. Although her own elementary school experience in Utah was filled with covert racism a...

“It’s time for us to mobilize.” Keep Pushing Mashanda Scott Elementary School Teacher, Head Start Director “I love the idea of constantly learning.” With a Political Science major and Educational Psychology minor, Ms. Mashanda Scott surprised her mentors, family and teachers when she pursued a career in the classroom instead of the courtroom. Now, with over 15 years of experience as an early child...

“Social justice led me to being an educator.” Ami Relf English Teacher IG: @TouchingLivesTeaching Twitter: @AmiElizabeth76 “Every child deserves a Black teacher.” This week, we are joined by Bellwood, Illinois native Ms. Ami Relf, an educator with over 22 years in the classroom. Due to redlining, she grew up in an environment that was incredibly affirming, before experiencing white flight (includi...

“We have a system that funds public education that is inequitable.” Dr. Patricia A. Frazier Teacher, Administrator “You have to be ready.” No child should ever be left behind. Over the course of her 35 year career, Dr. Patricia Frazier has recognized the power of connecting with each and every student. Thanks to the guidance of her Economic and Calculus teachers, she realized that she had an aptit...

“I’m just doing what I’m supposed to do, and I’m loving it.” Dr. Wycondia West West Instructional Services 1st grade teacher (16 years), Reading Intervention “You don’t know if you don’t know.” Dr. Wycondia West began as a 1st Grade Teacher, transitioned into tutoring and after building the confidence to bet on herself, launched West Instructional Services. Over the course of her impressive career...

“History and power go hand in hand.” Dr. ShaDawn Battle Assistant Professor, Gender and Diversity Studies, Literature, African American Literature, 20th Century, Hip Hop Studies, Critical Race Epistemology www.drshadawnbattle.com “What do you do with that privilege?” Get you an educator who can do both. On today’s episode, we are joined by Dr. ShaDawn Battle, a 14 year educator who brilliantly bre...

“Stay true to the teacher in you.” Kwame Sarfo-Mensa Math Teacher, Tutor, Mentor, Founder: Identity Talk Consulting Identitytalk4educators.com @kwam_the_identity_shaper “If we’re really going to talk about anti-racism, we need to commit to proactive and continuous capacity building.” Have you ever thought of education as healing work? As an educator for the last 15 years, Mr. Kwame Sarfo-Mensa uti...

Iesha Malone ELA Teacher, Mentor, Paraprofessional, Edpreneur Rose Cafe https://www.rosecafe.org/ Instagram and Facebook @RoseCafeChi “My foundation was set with a Black preschool teacher.” Roseland, stand up! On today’s episode, we are joined by career changer and edpreneur, Ms. Iesha Malone. Ms. Malone reflects on her educational journey, her where she’s been and the ambitions she has for the fu...

“Black Educators Matter because we have a gift… stay committed to your gift.” Beverly Glinsey Speech Language Pathologist “You have to have a love for research as an educator, and do the research. That knowledge you pass on to the students.” Beverly Glinsey was born and raised on the south side of Chicago - one of seven girls. Throughout public elementary school she had a mixture of Black and Whit...

“How can we make the school a staple in this community?" Ms. Chivon Ford Assistant Principal, History Teacher, Dean of Students, Preschool Teacher, Alumni Counselor “[I] have an educational privilege. How can I check it? How do I use it for good?” Chivon Ford was born and raised in Chicago. She was privileged to have Black educators throughout elementary school. She enjoyed school along with her “...

“Growing up… it was always a unicorn if one year you had a Black teacher.” Latoshia Martin Elementary School Teacher, Author “We have to break down each layer to get back to the basics” Latoshia Martin grew up in Miami, FL, in a family of Black educators, so it was a no brainer for her to become a teacher. She majored in Education and got her Masters degree in Early Education. She began teaching a...

“[Being a black educator] gives students a hero they can interact with everyday.” Mr. Amondre Johnson 2nd Grade, History Teacher, Football Coach, Paraprofessional, Substitute Teacher Short Stories of Black History Podcast “[There's] better understanding and compassion between a black teacher and a black student.” Amondre Johnson grew up in Roanoke, VA. He got his BA in History, played for the NFL...

“If they take a step, you take a hundred and go get ‘em.” Mr. Jonas Cleaves High School Principal, Former Dean of Culture, Former Teacher “There’s the benefit of being able to have that connection, to have these conversions,… [but] we also have to be mindful and willing to listen.” Jonas Cleaves was born and raised on the south side of Chicago. He attended Curie High School through a lottery. The...

“Teachers are the backbone of the team.” Mr. Charles Asiyanbi Assistant Principal, Social Worker, Elementary School Teacher, Reading Specialist “Black educators matter because students need to see people who look like them, sound like them, who've had many of the same experiences and understand the challenges and obstacles that they may have to overcome to become successful.” Charles Asiyanbi was...

“Anything is possible!” – Kevin Garnett “Why are we not pushing that more?” Mr. Barry Southerland Teacher, Substitute Teacher, Graduate Student “We’re not one monolithic group. We are a wide-range, diverse group of people with different experiences, but they all lead up to the Black experience.” Barry Sullivan grew up on the south side of Chicago. He had Black teachers in elementary school but non...

“There's tons of research to support the importance of Black educators, not just for children of color, but for non-children of color as well.” Jillian Lenae Carew Instruction Coach, Former School Leader, Principal and Teacher, Life Coach, Sneakerhead https://www.innergunlmtd.com/ “I was just being me, unapologetic about how I showed up as a Black woman in that space.” Jillian Carew grew up on the...

“Teach Black Children Everything” Ms. Tialyr (Pronounced Ty-lur) Winters Foreign Language Instructor, Global Traveler “We are everywhere but yet we don’t know our story. We don’t know our history. We don’t know our place. And I’m here to give it back." “The world is yours. It’s bigger than Chicago. It’s bigger than the west side. It’s bigger than the south side. It’s bigger than your block. It’s b...

"Black educators matter because they can be essential role models for Black students, and not just Black students but all races." Mr. Kevin Blackmon Band and Chorus Teacher "Those [HBCU] experiences molded me into who I am today." Born and raised in Columbus, GA, Kevin Blackmon had many Black teachers throughout elementary and high school. However, retention was always a problem. He began a singin...

“This is so for me.” Dr. Felicia Rutledge Multi-Tiered System of Supports Project Facilitator, Teacher of the Deaf / Hard of Hearing and Teacher of the Deaf-Blind IG: Instagram.com/FeliciaLRutledge Twitter: @EducatedSo “I love liberating students to dive into their passions.” Shoutout to all the Black educators who remained authentic! This week, we are joined by Dr. Felicia Rutledge, an educator w...

"The students I serve pay attention to everything that I'm not paying attention to." Mr. Woody Randall https://instagram.com/mrabove Senior Advisor, Teacher, Coach "My goal is to get a parent and a kid a year." Shaped by the wise words of his grandfather and the love of reading from his grandmother, Mr. Woody Randall joins us to reflect on his educational roots. After surviving two childhood open...

"The mission is to liberate your community..." Keiyonna Dubashi Activist, Builder, Cheerleader, Educator Profound Ladies Profoundladies.org "In spite of all of that, I found a way to thrive." Join us as we speak with Edpreneur Activist Keiyonna Dubashi, as she reflects on her educational journey -- being part of a bussing program in elementary school, having to survive in two worlds (and being oth...

"...We have the perfect opportunity to change it." Ms. Tina Ellis Dean of Students, Grade Level Lead, Assistant Principal, Teacher, Teacher Coach, Substitute Teacher, Parent "When I look at things, I can look at things from many different lenses." #Shoutout to the little sisters!! This week, we are joined by Ms. Tina Ellis, an East Coast educator who credits her sister as the inspiration that led...

“I pride myself on making sure that every child feels loved and protected in the space that I create.” Ms. Diamond Dortch 2nd Grade ELA Teacher “This is your child’s village.” On today’s episode, we hear from a Chicago raised HBCU educated elementary school teacher, Ms. Diamond Dortch. Diamond shares her childhood experience of growing up with a disability (#Shoutout to her 2nd grade teacher… and...