Early in my teaching career, I was a push-in teacher. It wasn’t because of my content but more out of necessity. Space was often limited; I wasn’t a homeroom teacher. The idea of having my own classroom was really foreign to me. Last year was the first year I was given a classroom. I serve […] The post The Lessons That Adorn My Classroom Walls appeared first on Philly's 7th Ward ..read more

As an educator, I am privileged to work with Black students. Unfortunately, I was, more often than not, the only Black man teacher in those buildings where I taught. It’s a truth for most Black men teachers; we only comprise approximately 1.5% of teachers nationwide. However, that truth provided me with an insight into the […] The post Acknowledgment over Appropriation: How White Teachers Can Build Meaningful Connection with Black Students appeared first on Philly's 7th Ward ..read more

The start of the new school year is an opportunity to establish new connections with a different set of students and start afresh. Starting fresh means applying the latest methods, teaching new lessons, and setting new goals. It also means establishing routines and ground rules to build a classroom culture that facilitates learning. Rules and […] The post Prioritize Relationships And Then Routines And Rules appeared first on Philly's 7th Ward ..read more

Black resistance is central to the Black experience in the United States and throughout the African diaspora. According to Herbert Aptheker, Black resistance took up eight different forms, including purchasing one’s freedom, flight to maroon communities, enlisting in the armed forces of colonial powers and the United States, and revolt or rebellion. The history of […] The post Hispanic Heritage Month & Black Resistance appeared first on Philly's 7th Ward ..read more

Kamala (Comma-La) Harris is the Vice President of the United States. She is also the Democratic candidate for president of the United States. Certainly, she deserves to have her name pronounced correctly. Yet, she’s received disrespect from conservatives. During a roundtable discussion on CNN, Congresswoman Nancy Lace (R-SC) blatantly mispronounced the Vice President’s name. The […] The post Say Her Name… Correctly appeared first on Philly's 7th Ward ..read more

Louisiana is the first state to mandate that a poster-size display of the Ten Commandments be in every classroom; from Kindergarten to higher education classrooms. The state has its republican governor and its majority republican legislature to thank for this new rule. Gov. Jeff Landry said, “If you want to respect the rule of law, […] The post The Religion of Whiteness appeared first on Philly's 7th Ward ..read more

My Dad was born in Trinidad. My mother is Polish and British. I was born with this beautiful complicated ancestry. I am an immigrant. I am Black. I am white. I am British. I am Trinidadian, and “I, Too” am American. My story is common. As of 2020 mixed-race people increased to 10.2% of the […] The post Reflections from a Biracial Teacher on Black Identities appeared first on Philly's 7th Ward ..read more

Beware of the “Rayguns” breaking things in the nonprofit sector  The memes, reenactment reels, and jokes are coming in with Lylesian speed after Rachael “Raygun” Gunn’s breaking routine for Team Australia during the 2024 Paris Olympics.  Her B-girl performance —which received 0 points over three rounds—  is being skewered and barbecued online for being clunky, […] The post We Have Professor Rayguns In The Non-Profit World appeared first on Philly's 7th Ward ..read more

The terms/acronyms “woke,” “DEI,” and “CRT” are used in a derogatory way, interchangeably, as a coded language to signify or designate a Black person as either Black or the N-word. Political conservatives use these frequently. They’re not hiding their vitriol for any backlash against whiteness, white supremacy, and racial capitalism. They’re highlighting it and specifically, […] The post DEI IS THE NEW N-WORD appeared first on Philly's 7th Ward ..read more

We live in a very results-driven society where finishing isn’t enough. In other words, how one performs often matters more than simply completing a performance. There is something to that. I don’t simply want a meal, I’d like a well-cooked meal. There’s greater satisfaction after eating a well-cooked meal, versus just a cooked meal. However, […] The post The Importance of Finishing appeared first on Philly's 7th Ward ..read more