Last year, the U.S. Department of Education reported that Black educators make up approximately 9 percent of the teacher workforce, of which a majority are Black women. A group that is often studied but left out of conversations, we wanted to intentionally facilitate spaces for Black women across and outside the gender spectrum and learn more about their experiences in this climate, as much recent research covers pre-pandemic educator experiences.
Joy in learning, discovering Black literature and having a relatable role model are some of the benefits of having a Black teacher for Black students. Yet, in our research study on the experiences of this underrepresented group, most of the Black women we talked to experienced the opposite in their workplaces, namely apathy and interpersonal racism and discrimination. They also expressed the weight of more obscure inequalities, like the hidden emotional labor from protecting Black students from inappropriate discipline practices and coping with the stress associated with racism and sexism. What they describe are manifestations of systemic inequalities that impact Black teachers.
The 27 Black women we interviewed were powerfully self-aware. Most reported a thorough understanding of the ways that intersectional oppression shows up in their work lives and how it bleeds into their personal lives. As a result, even the strongest and most self-aware Black women can subconsciously internalize the stress from these frequent encounters, which may have downstream effects on their professional and personal self-image, emotional well-being and physical health.
Despite the risk of negative consequences for showing up unapologetically and authentically, several research participants expressed that being a teacher is their calling, their purpose and their joy. Most notably, it became clear that for Black women educators in this study, being a teacher is more of an identity than a job title.
Utilizing a Black Feminist Framework
While interacting with the women who graciously agreed to participate in our research project, I noticed sentiments from Black feminist literature echoing throughout each conversation.
Although no one specifically cited bell hooks or Patricia Hill Collins, several participants describe their teaching styles as akin to revolutionary feminist pedagogy characterized by a sense of radical care for their students.
Their stories remind me of what Patricia Hill Collins describes as “othermothering,” the phenomena of Black women sharing motherwork responsibilities by protecting and helping raise Black children within communities, oftentimes inherently and without expectation of receiving something tangible in return.
Whether inviting students who need a listening ear for lunch in the assistant principal’s office, or simply recognizing students’ love languages, our participants shared dozens of beautiful ways they show up as teachers, role models and othermothers for their students. Thus, radical care became a resounding framework that informed the practice of Black women educators and the themes expressed by participants in this study.
This shared sense of responsibility to model authenticity, perfection and representation of Blackness to their Black students is a familiar feeling, but I noticed some distinct gendered differences in the expectations for how they show up and take up space.
In this article, and in the remainder of this series on Black women educators’ experiences, we’ll dive deeper into the intersectional complexities many participants mentioned. While our participants discussed the stresses of systemic and interpersonal discrimination and oppression, these spaces illustrated the potentially healing effects of connecting through affinity groups, especially after the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Collaborative, Community-Based Research Project
As we began this research study, our goal was to center participants’ voices and some of the infrequently told stories about Black educators’ experiences and impact. In fact, throughout this series, you’ll hear from participants who’ll tell their own stories. This concept is called community-based participatory research (CBPR).
The premise of this research method is for researchers to take a step back and approach research with collaboration in mind; in this way, we opt to formulate research findings with Black women educators instead of doing research on Black women educators. We recognize that our participants are experts in their own lives and within their profession.
By conducting this research side by side with the Black women in this study, we are hopeful that this research contextualizes grim data about teachers leaving the profession, educator well-being, and ultimately, why many of these Black women stay in education despite the manifestations of racism, sexism, and systemic intersectional discrimination in their workplaces.
To help bring these issues and this research project to life, we partnered with the Abolitionist Teaching Network to recruit a diverse group of Black women educators. Within less than 24 hours, there were 300 educators who expressed interest in participating and met the study criteria. From those Black women that met the criteria, 27 participated in the study.
Our participants are educators all over the United States, with tenures ranging from three years to over 30 years in the classroom and leading schools. The majority of our participants have been in the profession for over 15 years. Most teach in public schools, but several find teaching homes in charter schools, freedom schools and independent schools. Some have started their own schools, and some have transitioned into higher education.
EdSurge Research often holds what we call teaching and learning circles with educators where they can openly discuss concerns, challenges and triumphs in their jobs. This time, with school buildings back open from the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, national teacher shortages and highly politicized book bans and curriculum restrictions in the backdrop, with this exploratory research, we wanted to co-create spaces for Black women educators to connect, support one another and learn more about how they’re doing with so much turmoil happening in schools.
We held four, 90-minute sessions with six to ten participants in each session, facilitated by an educator, also a Black woman, whom you’ll hear from in an upcoming article. We transcribed the audio from the group sessions and analyzed the data using a method called thematic reflexive analysis. Some quotes from our participants are featured throughout this article.
These intimate virtual teachers' lounges created a non-judgmental environment where the educators could feel heard and connect with other educators near and far. Some participants expressed that having the opportunity to connect with other Black women educators felt like a hug from a sister they didn’t realize they needed.
For the remainder of this article, I’ll briefly mention some primary themes we noticed throughout our time with these educators and some topics you can expect to hear from our participant co-authors in this upcoming series of articles from Edsurge Research.
