Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Check-In:
In the past month, I have been asked the same question in different ways. “Why are Black women leaving their jobs?” My initial response…
WE.
ARE.
TIRED.
Then a more expansive response is “I cannot speak for all Black women but I can tell you what I’ve heard and seen from those who I’m close to and what I’ve thought about myself. First, it’s important to note that oftentimes, Black women aren’t leaving the education industry, they’re just leaving the institution in which they worked. In the past few years, we have given up trying to be the magical negro (thank you to my friend Angela for always being my reminder about this), recognize the value of our skills, and have taken steps to protect our health and seek joy. This is what I am hearing time and time again. So since the school districts and non-profits they previously worked for are unable to create an environment that honors all of these traits, they have stepped out to create their own working conditions.”
It’s those working conditions that Aaron talks about in his interview that are allowing him to take on his role. It’s the joy that Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts describes in her book.
What do you need to feel sustainable in your role?
#mondaymotivation: “You are your best thing.” —Toni Morrison
Interview with a Leader of the Global Majority:
Dr. Aaron T. Jennings, MSW is the Equity, Diversity, and Excellence Officer for Chelsea Public Schools. He has been in the role for over two years. The comments below are Aaron’s and do not reflect the opinions of his district.
Mary: How do you approach your work and make it sustainable?
Aaron: I am an intrepreneur as opposed to an entrepreneur. I like to innovate within existing structures and systems. I learned the term in Monica C. Higgins’ class.
Aaron: I love cross-sector work. I love building across departments. So, I like to say I'm building a team across cabinet, across the district, across the community, and across the education ecosystem.
Aaron: I really believe my tentacles are across the district. And so that being said, the equity committee is a microcosm of their system.
Aaron: I'm so grateful for the work I've done and the constant continuous learning. I've really considered myself to be blessed and fortunate doing this hard work that is not for the faint of heart.
You can read more from Aaron in “Leading Within Systems of Inequity in Education: A Liberation Guide for Leaders of Color”. Let me know if you would like to be interviewed and/or recommend someone to be profiled in this section.
What I’m Reading: Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration by Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts.
About the author(s): Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts is a writer of many books and articles as well as a podcast host
Book Audience: Any interested in finding their joy
Book Overview:
Through a variety of short essays that include reflections on childhood, parenthood, music, movies, history, etc., Tracey shows us different ways that joy manifests itself but has put them into 3 sections:
Resistance:
One of the hardest things that we will ever have to reconcile individually and collectively is the fact that sometimes choosing joy means leaving a place that no longer serves you (p. 42)
Resilience
Joy is perfectly capable of living alongside fear…In fact, when I lean into my fear, sit with it, become curious about it, and try to understand its source- where it comes from, who are its people- these it tends to dissipate on its own. (p. 131-132)
Restoration
People love to put us in a box. To say our joy should look like this or our anger should look like that. Part of the duality I have embraced is the fact that I rebuke and resist any categorization while vehemently claiming the categories, the identities, that align with my heart. (p. 221)
In all of these avenues, it is clear that “joy is an inside job.” All of us need to be able to find the joy within ourselves to truly experience it.
Next Book: Leading Your School Toward Equity: A Practical Framework for Walking the Talk by Dwayne Chism. You can find a full list of my book recommendations here. Please note that I am an affiliate with Bookshop.org and receive a small compensation for your purchase when you use the book links provided.
Resources:
A handy guide to cultural misappropriation. Simon Fraser University in Vancouver has published a thoughtful resource that can help people distinguish between borrowing themes for creative inspiration or tribute and creating work that disrespects or does unintentional emotional and economic harm to a group of people.
A big win for the Indigenous community! President Joe Biden just designated Avi Kwa Ame (Mojave for "Spirit Mountain") as a National Monument. Hear from members of the Indigenous community on the importance of this designation, which supports over 500,000 acres of public land in southern Nevada. Avi Kwa Ame
A new study on the experiences of members of the AAPI community in California examined data from 2019-2021 and found increased economic distress and poorer mental and physical health outcomes after the pandemic began.
Upcoming Events and Reminders:
SXSW Sydney Session Select Voting is now open!
I have two proposals submitted for SXSW Sydney that I would love your support by voting.
Liberating & Empowering Leadership to Support Every Student with the amazing Dr. Tanji Reed-Marshall
Education Leaders of the Global Majority Meet Up is an opportunity to be in conversation with leaders about my book
How to Vote:
Log in or register to vote
You will receive five votes but only one vote per proposal is permitted - don’t worry though, you can remove a vote if you change your mind
Within the SXSW Sydney Session Select voting gallery, you can peruse proposals page by page or filter by conference track, session description or title. To find my proposals search for Liberating & Empowering Leadership to Support Every Student and Education Leaders of the Global Majority Meet Up
You can then vote in gallery view or click on any proposal for a deep dive on the details and vote from there
Voting closes at 11.59pm EST on Tuesday 11 April!!
Book launch events:
If you are in NYC and not headed out of town for Spring Break, on Monday, April 10th, join a conversation featuring Author and Activist Iris Morales, Benny Vasquez, Chief Equity Officer, KIPP Foundation, and me, author of the book, Leading Within Systems of Inequity in Education: A Liberation Guide for Leaders of Color. This conversation will be moderated by Basil Smikle, PhD, Distinguished Lecturer and Director of the Public Policy Program at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College. You can RSVP for this event here: https://pp.events/a8JmnJ0e
On Monday, April 24th, please join a virtual conversation with Tauheedah Baker-Jones, EdLd, Chief Equity and Social Justice Officer of Atlanta Public Schools. This conversation will be moderated by Nancy Gutierrez, EdLd, President and CEO of The Leadership Academy. You can RSVP for this event here: https://pp.events/avxN235D
Leading-Within Wednesdays
I just launched Leading-Within Wednesdays on Wednesday, March 29th. Moving forward every other Wednesday, for the next 10 weeks, I will be giving some insights into each of the 10 competencies introduced in the book. It will be a short post that will also be available via audio if you prefer to listen. The next one will be Wednesday, April 12th focused on competency #2- operate outside your comfort zone. These will be shared through this newsletter so if you’re not signed up…here’s the time to do it!
If this is your first time reading, please go back and read my Introductions post.
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. If you like it, please share it with your network!