Michelle DeJohnette

The Blackboard

Education EN ↓ 4 episodes

Black children experience racial and gendered bias that often leads to disproportionate punishment, surveillance, and criminalization in early learning spaces. Yet much of the research on these injustices remains locked in academic circles. The Blackboard bridges that gap. Hosted by Dr. Michelle DeJohnette, this podcast brings together scholars, educators, and families to reveal how systemic inequities shape Black children’s early learning experiences—and how we can disrupt them. Each episode blends research, resistance, and real stories to make scholarship accessible, actionable, and rooted i...

Author

Michelle DeJohnette

Episodes

Police-Free ECE 10.07.2026 39:57

Episode Summary What happens when the message we teach young children doesn't match the reality many families live every day? In this episode of The Blackboard , Dr. Michelle DeJohnette talks with educator and abolitionist Ijumaa Jordan about why it's time to rethink the idea of police as "community helpers" in early childhood education. Together, they explore how children from different communiti...

Black Boyhood Just Don't Stop 26.06.2026 1:24:25

Episode Summary The conversation presented in this episode underscores a crucial and stark reality: the adultification of Black boys within educational and societal contexts. This phenomenon, which effectively robs them of their childhood, manifests in the premature attribution of adult responsibilities and expectations, thus leading to severe repercussions for their psychological and emotional de...

Let Black Boys Play! 03.02.2026 51:53

Episode 1: Let Black Boys Play! with Dr. Nathaniel Bryan Challenging Systemic Inequities In the inaugural episode of the Blackboard podcast, host Dr. Michelle DeJohnette introduces the podcast’s focus on the experiences of Black children in early childhood education, highlighting systemic inequities and discussing solutions. Dr. DeJohnette's first guest is Dr. Nathaniel Bryan, a scholar whose rese...

Trailer: Come Sit at the Blackboard 16.01.2026 1:19

Trailer: Come sit at the Blackboard The Blackboard Podcast is a space to talk honestly about what’s happening in early childhood education—and what should be happening instead. In this trailer episode, Dr. DeJohnette introduces the purpose and vision behind The Blackboard Podcast , inviting educators, families, students, and community members into conversations that move beyond surface-level discu...