“I, too, am a teacher:” Unapologetically Black Educator Story Lounge 2024
By Vanessa Williams
DCAESJ and EmpowerEd DC’s third annual Unapologetically Black Educator Story Lounge was just as powerful, moving, and joyous as the previously held events. Yearly planned as an action for D.C. area educators to participate in the national BLM at School Weeks of Action, the story lounge again uplifted the Unapologetically Black principle. It reads,
We are unapologetically Black in our positioning. In affirming that Black Lives Matter, we need not qualify our position. To love and desire freedom and justice for ourselves is a necessary prerequisite for wanting the same for others.
The lounge also connects directly to the BLM at School national demand, “Black teacher pushout ends now! Hire and retain Black teachers.”
Hosted at Creole on 14th, the event is crafted to affirm and celebrate Black educators. Black educators are encouraged to grab the mic and simply share their stories – whatever’s on their minds, their hearts, and express themselves however they feel so moved. So frequently, Black educators are silenced, their labor exploited, and their legitimacy as professionals challenged. Curating a space for Black educators to speak life into themselves and one another is vital, and a powerful reinforcement of the ongoing work of both EmpowerEd DC and DCAESJ’s supporting of Black educators. Read EmpowerEd DC’s Teacher Retention Agenda.
There were educators representing all eight wards and schools outside the District, educators who were in their first years teaching and others who’ve served more than 20 years in the classroom. Storytellers that night taught early childhood through high school and across all subjects. While there was diversity in their makeup, many educators that night voiced the same challenges and triumphs.
After all storytellers that night were done sharing, Vanessa Williams, program manager for D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice and co-MC for the night, presented a composite poem of golden lines and messages that were shared through the evening, something that has become a tradition for the story lounge. This practice reaffirms the moving stories and imparted messages from storytellers and serves as a lyrical archive of each night. This year’s poem is entitled, “I, Too, Am a Teacher”
I, Too, Am a Teacher
Teaching found me
I have new students to pour into
Seeing the joy of my students has helped me heal
Diversity brings beauty to a community
I belong here
Be a speaker and an encourager
I, too, am a teacher
All these years I didn’t know
Children need reflections of themselves, they need hope
Don’t kill their confidence
Don’t kill mine
Be my best self
This is where I’m supposed to be
I, too, am a teacher
My teachers fostered my thirst for knowledge
The seeds you plant, you never know when they are going to grow
I will never spend another day doing something I did not love
Your dreams are reachable and teachable
I, too, am a teacher
All storytellers that night were gifted a children’s book inspired by a BLM at School guiding principle for their personal or classroom bookshelves.
Watch the 2024 Unapologetically Black Educator Story Lounge on YouTube.
Read about the 2023 Unapologetically Black Educator Story Lounge.