sonjacherrypaul.bsky.social
Educator * NYT Bestselling Author * Founder of Red Clay Educators * Institute for Racial Equity in Literacy * she/her/hers * linktr.ee/sonjacherrypaul
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On Black Love Day, white people are invited to participate by “showing love through action (Ayo Handy-Kendi).” For example, confront ways you’ve been socialized into racism, examine who you are in community with and who is missing, determine ways to work in solidarity with Black people.
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Celebrating Black Love:
• Affirms Black people's value
• Challenges stereotypes
• Counters negative portrayals:
• Resists oppression
• Builds community
• Promotes healing
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Black history does not begin with slavery. Learn and teach about African empires and disrupt harmful portrayals of Africa - past and present - with books that accurately present its beauty, cultures, diversity, and histories.
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Teach Black kingdoms and empires so that students’ understanding of African civilizations do not begin and end with the fictional Kingdom of Wakanda.
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Kendrick Lamar offers an extraordinary opportunity to enjoy and discuss his music and lyrics. We can take up the invitation to study as well the music and poetry of Gil Scott Heron.
Teach Black musicians who see their music as inextricably bound to the work of liberation.
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The Super Bowl halftime show should keep us in conversations with young people for a long time about the legacy of Black musicians and the intersection of Black music and activism.
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Quote: Historic Greenwood District
Free Educator’s Guide for Unspeakable available at sonjacherrypaul.com
Learn more about Greenwood and the Tulsa Race Massacre:
The Roots of Greenwood | National Museum of African American History and Culture
Justice For Greenwood
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Black resilience is our strength, spirtuality, community, creativity, ingenuity, hope, and triumph.
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Teach Black people’s unique ability to face adversity through our brilliance in: literature, science, technology, the arts, activism, and resistance.
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Teach that Black resilience is not a consolation for continued inequities and white rage.
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In this national political landscape, antiBlackness is prevalent in all aspects of society and has real implications on the physical, psychological, emotional, economical, and social well-being of Black people.
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Quote: nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stor...
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In a landscape that continually creates obstacles for Black students to access higher education, HBCUs are a haven providing excellent, culturally affirming education and a strong sense of community. HBCUs have educated generations of powerful leaders in the Untied States and beyond.
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And the supreme court’s 2023 ruling on affirmative action has immediately resulted in decreased enrollment of Black students in many universities.
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A century after the end of slavery, Black students were denied access to the nation’s colleges and universities. Centuries later, many predominantly white higher learning institutions remain just that - predominantly white.
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“Over the years, beauty salons and barber shops have come to provide a unique social function. Scholars often cite these sites as “sanctuaries” for black people.”
Quotes-
The Community Roles of the Barber Shop and Beauty Salon | National Museum of African American History and Culture
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“There were spaces where customers played games such as chess, cards, and dominoes, while having conversations about local gossip, politics, and community affairs.”
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“Since the turn of the 19th century, beauty salons and barber shops have served as special places among African Americans. They have been places not only to get hair care services but locations where black people could be vulnerable and talk about issues of importance in the community.”
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Black hair is a powerful part of Black identity, resistance, survival, cultural heritage, creative expression, celebration. Whether we are being coiffed at the beauty salon, barbershop, by a parent or caregiver, or by our own hands, community and cultural pride are inextricably linked to Black hair.
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Teach how Black women communicated secret messages in quilts that helped enslaved people escape to freedom. Teach how Black women have turned the tradition of quilt making into an art form.
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For centuries Black women have created quilts for more than just the physical need for warmth. Teach how Black women - past and present - create quilts to preserve their culture, history, and identity.
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Enjoy these five books that spotlight one form of Black joy that spans across generations.
Which books are you using that both name injustice AND affirm the brilliance, aspirations, joys, and achievements of Black people?
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“There is probably no clearer representation or symbol from my childhood than a set of jump ropes. The image of Double Dutch jumping reminds me that Black girl magic can turn an ordinary object such as rope, cable chords, or telephone wire into art. Into a movement.” ~ Sonja Cherry-Paul
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How are you teaching Black
Black joy does not mean a life without challenges. Black joy is the indomitable spirit of Black people. Black Joy is our defiance and determination. Black joy is an assertion of our humanity and our ability to be resilient despite racism, and injustice.
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How are you teaching Black Joy?
Within the landscape of book banning is a troubling phenomenon at work: the weaponization of Black joy for white comfort. This can look like educators avoiding certain books that address inequities because they find them to be “too sad” or “too scary” for kids.
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In an outwardly racist society, we will #staywoke as Black people in our continued struggle for justice and liberation.
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From Lead Belly to Marcus Garvey to the Negro Coal Miners to Malcolm X to Erykah Badu to the Black Lives Matter Movement woke has been and continues to be a watchword rooted in Black cultural, historical, and social significance.
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Black is not a monolith. Whether we choose to use it or not, we reclaim the word woke. “THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP affirms the term "Woke" and its historical connection to Black history, Black liberation movements, and social justice.”
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How are you teaching Black reclamation this Black History Month and always?
We will not allow white mainstream media and racist politicians to erode and distort the meaning of woke and turn it into a pejorative.
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Absolutely! Thanks for asking.
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Instead, we’ll need turn toward one another and work in solidarity in order to make Dr. King’s vision our reality.
Due to inclement weather, tomorrow’s MLK Day Teach-In will be virtual. Register and join us!
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The ideals Dr. King lived and died for - a community where everyone is cared for, free from hatred, violence, hunger, and poverty - will not be on the agenda at the presidential inauguration.
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Dr. King envisioned the creation of what he referred to as a beloved community, achievable only by a commitment to love, truth, and justice.
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We'd be thrilled to work in community with you and your colleagues in person or virtually. Contact us at [email protected]. There’s a few spots left for the 2024-2025 school year and we are scheduling now for the 2025-2026 school year.
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This also provides a unique and exciting opportunity for us to customize this work specifically to your local context to address the unique histories, identities and needs of students, teachers and families. As Audre Lorde has said, “Without community, there is no liberation.”
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In this national moment when work related to diversity and equity are so vital in education and at the same time under attack, it is critical that we build skills as a community so that educators can support one another in order for this work to flourish.