Before my feet landed at Word In Black, they were dragging through New York City public and charter schools as a direct support professional, teacher’s assistant, and paraprofessional. 

Depending on where you work in a school system, you may experience the constant back and forth about being paid fairly, parents consistently taking offense to constructive criticism, and the fear of knowing you could be laid off due to budget cuts.

What I did not know during that time was that as I tried to navigate my way through my first full year after college and the COVID-19 pandemic, the needs of Black students I witnessed would become the foundation for the reporting I’d do. 

What Our Kids Learn About Blackness

I started my journey here on November 1, 2022 — the same day Grammy-award-winning Migos star Takeoff was killed. Word In Black prides itself on telling stories that often go untold, so it was only fitting that our managing director, Liz Courquet-Lesaulnier, told me I should do a story about the significance of the shooting. 

The shooting was captured on video and circulated across media platforms, prompting many to ask why the dehumanization of Black people — which impacts the health and well-being of Black students — continues to be OK in this country. 

I also wrote about the mass shooting at the University of Virginia, spoke with UCLA’s Tyrone Howard on redefining the care of culture for Black boys, and was invited to the annual Black Male Educators Convening event on strengthening the Black educator pipeline. 

Fellowships and Building Connections 

To start 2023, I joined nearly a dozen other reporters in McAllen, Texas, for a three-day National Press Foundation fellowship exploring vital topics in education.

We examined how COVID-19 increased childhood poverty and widened the academic achievement gap and how economic instability impacts children’s mental health. We explored innovative support for children in foster care and child labor policies. We heard from NPF’s editor of the year, Manny Garcia, who led the Austin American-Statesman’s coverage of the Uvalde school shooting. And we visited the Catholic Charities of Rio Grande Valley to witness firsthand the transition that refugees from across the border experience. 

During Black History Month, urban education expert Camika Royal spoke with me about the generational impact colorism continues to have on Black communities and students, particularly young Black girls. I also kept tabs on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and white parents’ crusade against teaching Black history. 

Amplifying Black Women and Girls

I wrote stories highlighting monumental female educators Patricia Brantley and Dr.Garland Thomas-McDavid for Women’s History Month. They both discussed the importance of representation and creating opportunities for Black students regardless of where they live. 

Organizations like EmpowHER Institute, Black Girls Don’t Get Love, and the Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation showed readers how they’re directly attacking educational and opportunity gaps that impact Black girls — like the number of teen girls who don’t attend prom because their caregivers don’t have the money. 

After writing nearly 100 stories, speaking with over 50 experts, and conversing with dozens of education leaders working tirelessly to build the adults of the future, I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be at this point in my career.