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We’re doing something a little different for the next few episodes. I’ll be stepping aside while my friend Keiyonna Dubashi, founder of Profound Ladies, temporarily hosts the podcast and shares some conversations from the Profound Ladies Equity Pledge series that took place last spring. Profound Ladies is dedicated to recruiting and retaining Black and Indigenous Women of Color and equipping them with the mentorship, leadership, and career development pathways necessary for them to succeed, grow, and thrive. Prior to the Brown V. Board, 35-50% of teachers — and an equivalent percentage of principals — were Black, particularly in the south. Today, that number is only about 6% nationwide. Organizations like Profound Ladies have set out to change that.

In the wake of the Brown decision and the subsequent desegregation efforts, over 40,000 African American teachers and school leaders lost their jobs. That’s because desegregation has always occurred at the pace of white comfort.

In the first of the series, Keiyonna sits down with Dr. Jerry Wilson of CREED (Center for Racial Equity In Education). They talk through the current state of education, what it will take to confront how we got to where we are today, and how we can join in solidarity with efforts happening right now to close the gap between our values and our actions.

Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions. The theme song mirrors is by Joseph McDade.