We’ve been talking about the
Black teacher shortage for years now using the
hashtag #WeNeedBlackTeachers. Because there has been no
serious comprehensive assessment or commitment
to resolution, the crisis has deepened. The
pandemic worsened the overall situation.
Tensions inside and outside school districts
abound. Lawsuits are flying. Teachers are
fleeing. Schools in Black neighborhoods are
being shut down. And where are Black children
in this hostile mix? They are caught in the
crossfire and are suffering profusely -
psychologically and academically.
Beyond the university
requirements, teaching in public schools
requires a high level of love for Black
children along with a genuine commitment to
Black liberation via the education front. Most
Black teachers come into the field excited
about making a difference in the lives of
children. They still step up knowing that the
pay is not competitive, and that the working
conditions are challenging.
There is a view that the Black
teacher shortage was triggered by the Brown v.
Board decision that integrated schools by
shutting down segregated schools and using
Black students to de-segregate all-white
schools. Dr. Leslie T. Fenwick estimates that
100,000 Black teachers and principals were
forced out of southern public school districts
in her book, “Jim Crow’s Pink Slip: The
Untold Story of Black Principal and Teacher
Leadership.” She believes it was an
educational catastrophe from which we have
never recovered.
There are a few recruitment
programs and fellowships for that are tackling
the issue of shortage like the Black Male
Educators for Social Justice and the Black
Educator Initiative. The American Federation
of Teachers runs a program in a Newark high
school. Recruitment isn’t the only obstacle;
retention is a huge hurdle.
So what happens when Black
teachers are successfully recruited and
certified? In several research surveys, Black
educators report work environments that are
not welcoming, respectful, or culturally
affirming for these Black professionals. This
is on top of the issues that engulf many urban
school districts such as violence, student
learning disabilities, poverty and fractured
family structures.
If Black teachers are struggling
to get through the day to fulfill their
personal and professional missions, what’s
happening with Black principals?
These folks have jumped through
many credentialing hoops, attained multiple
degrees (and the debt that goes with them) and
dealt with bureaucratic anti-Black systems of
oppression. National statistics put Black
teachers at 7 percent of the teaching
profession, but the number of Black principals
plummets dramatically to about 2 percent.
Two scenarios which have crossed
my radar could give us insights into the world
of Black principals. Kacy Shahid was the high
school principal of St. Louis’ first school
shooting. Abdul Muhammad is one of Chicago’s
Black principals targeted for unjustified
removal.
The joy for Dr. Shahid of being
placed at Central Visual and Performing Arts
High School as principal was that it was her
alma mater. In spite of the usual challenges
of a principal, she loved it for eight years -
until the unthinkable happened. Last fall, a
CVPA graduate thrust the school into the
national spotlight when he entered the school
heavily armed and took the life of a beloved
teacher and popular student. The shooter was
killed by police, leaving behind a note of his
troubled and lonely life.
What keeps the spotlight on the
St. Louis Public School District is that this
is the nation’s first public school shooting
by a Black gunman. Months later, I can tell
you first-hand that neither the district nor
the city have come to grips with the tragedy
and its reverberating trauma in order for
meaningful healing to happen for the broader
community.
After the tragedy, Dr. Shahid
spent weeks on her own self-care, admitting
publicly that “the weeks/months following the
event were overwhelming.” She spent time
deepening her understanding of what it takes
for a human being to truly heal. This past
summer, Shahid formally resigned from the St.
Louis district. This fall she will join the
leadership team of another school district.
Brother Muhammad did not have to
survive a traumatic school shooting, but he
certainly has endured brutal assaults on his
reputation and livelihood from Chicago Public
School officials and their lackeys. The
coordinated attack seemed to have come when a
school official wanted her friend to be the
principal at Lindblom School. The friend
didn’t make the cut; Muhammad’s exemplary
resume made him the top choice coming out of
the interview process.
The only way for CPS to tear
down a 25-year decorated, veteran teacher and
administrator is to fabricate lies to justify
its actions. As Muhammad fought for his
position, students, parents and the broader
community came to his defense. They set up a website to set the record straight
and to give updates on the case. As the
investigation into his case deepened, it was
discovered that a pattern was emerging of
ousting Black administrators. The injustice
caught the ear of civil rights attorney, Ben
Crump, who is now representing several of the
Black principals.
While the alarm bell is ringing
about Black educator shortages, while the
research shows that all demographics of
student bodies benefit from diverse teaching
staffs, Black teachers and principals are
catching unnecessary hell. The more they are
seen as advocates for their students, parents
and communities, the redder the bullseye on
their backs becomes. Valuable time, energy and
monies are diverted from classroom instruction
and student engagement when educators are
forced to engage in petty in-fighting and
bureaucratic dysfunction.
Teacher shortage is not just a
local problem or a Black issue. It has
national implications and must be put in its
proper context. Under-resourced and
under-staffed schools equal student
under-achievement and school failures.
Failures have a direct and long-term impact on
our economy, our healthcare system, our social
safety nets and the basic right to thrive.
Both the right to a quality
education and the right to work in a safe
environment are human rights. Perhaps the
violation of human rights is a strategic segue
to start discussing solutions to this chronic
problem and placing it in an arena of
international importance.
