Have you ever felt like your role as a black male educator has been diminished by society? Do you feel like you’re called to manage behaviors of students rather than shape their minds? Are you one of the few black male educators at your institution? Have you experienced burnout from taking on additional roles with little to no compensation? Do you desire a community designed to fit your needs?
At BMEsTalk, we understand those feelings and that’s why we’re focused on creating protocols that foster equity-centered teaching and leadership in our schools, colleges, and institutes of learning. We believe this is one of the most profound ways to facilitate the change that’s needed to raise up future black educators and empower those of today.
Equity-Centered Facilitation
What exactly does it mean to facilitate equity-centered protocols? To further explain it, let’s look at a breakdown of the term:
Equity: The condition that would be achieved if one’s identity no longer predicted, in a statistical sense, how one fares. (Adapted from Center for Assessment and Policy Development)
Facilitation: Help bring about. (Merriam-Webster)
Therefore, our working definition of “Equity-Centered Facilitation” is this: To help bring about the conditions within a group, so that one’s identity does not predict how they will engage in a learning experience.
Why the Focus?
By helping promote protocols within our learning communities that educate other teachers and administrators who are not BIPOC about the reality of being a black male educator in today’s world, we can start the conversations that are needed to enact change.
These conversations will:
- Address issues we face daily both personally and professionally as BMEs.
- Strengthen our purpose as BMEs and enhance our practices and those of the institutions we serve in.
- Establish professional relationships with other BMEs and strengthen those with non-BIPOC colleagues.
Our society needs a stronger presence of black male educators that embrace their unique set of skills and life experiences. By focusing on equity and showing how it has been lacking in the educational arena for years, we can ensure that future black leaders are empowered to lead and inspire without being held back by racial inequities.
How Do We Do This?
The best way that can enact change is by being a part of the solution. We do this through developing leaders in our BMEsTalk Leadership Labs, a series of virtual workshops in which BMEs can hone their leadership and facilitation skills. We teach participants how to design and lead equity-centered learning experiences for their students, parents, and fellow educators. They’ll also have a safe space to engage in self care practices and share professional resources.
By equipping BMEs during our leadership labs, we’re able to send like minded educators back into our communities to facilitate equity-centered conversations and protocol. While we know we may not arrive at a solution in one day, we believe that the change of tomorrow begins with the hope that we can foster today.
