麻豆原创

After Michele (not her real name), a black student from the rural South, attended the first session of Felicia Mensah鈥檚 science methods course at Teachers College, she called home.

鈥淚 was like, 鈥楧ad, guess what? I鈥檓 taking a class with an African American professor!鈥欌�� Michele later told Mensah. 鈥淪he鈥檚 a woman.鈥�

Mensah, Professor of Science & Education, considered Michele a rarity, too. 鈥淭he significant decrease in the number of Black teachers has been so drastic that scholars have referred to them as an 鈥榚ndangered species,鈥欌�� she writes in her paper, published in February by the American Educational Research Journal.

鈥淭he educational landscape post-Brown [Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 Supreme Court decision striking down school segregation] has not yet rebounded鈥� from a 鈥渕ass exodus鈥� of black educators, including many who were fired.

The educational landscape post-Brown v. Board of Education has not yet rebounded鈥� from a 鈥渕ass exodus鈥� of black educators, including many who were fired.

鈥� Felicia Mensah, Professor of Science & Education

Mensah chronicles Michele鈥檚 journey from childhood through her first full-time appointment as a New York City elementary school teacher. She describes how Michele, 鈥渁 darker complexion African American woman,鈥� learns that beauty is associated with lighter skin tone; how she repeatedly experiences being 鈥渢he only one鈥� in all- or mostly white classrooms; and how white teachers classify her as learning disabled, telling her she hasn鈥檛 learned to apply herself 鈥渂ecause of my skin.鈥�

Michele is considering quitting teaching until Mensah introduces her to Critical Race Theory, which holds that race and racism are defining characteristics of American society and also in teacher education. Michele responds powerfully to what Mensah terms 鈥渢he centrality of naming her own experience.鈥� 鈥淚 found my voice,鈥� she later tells Mensah. 鈥淭his is what caused me to stay in teaching.鈥�