“Education is political.”

Juanita Walters

Special Education Coordinator, Math Coach, Assistant Principal

Awaken Your Joy (Journal) - https://a.co/d/94yW3w7

Tuesday’s At Seven: The Healing Circle - https://a.co/d/2MwmpKD

“This system was never designed with Black children in mind.”

This week, we are joined by special education coordinator and former correctional officer Juanita Walters, as she unpacks her journey through education, leadership, and advocacy in New York. Drawing from roles spanning the classroom, administration, and pupil services (and her time in the criminal justice system), Juanita exposes the parallels between schools and carceral systems and names the urgent need for Black educators to be disruptors.

“Compliance is not engagement, and burning out is not a badge of honor.”

Juanita challenges the manufactured literacy crisis, scripted curricula, and systems that ignore culture and context, while calling for collective action and independent, Black-led educational spaces rooted in student voice, autonomy, and joy. She also models sustainability, discussing her commitment to boundaries, harmony, healing, and authorship through her journal Awaken Your Joy. Grounded in purpose and community, this episode is a call for Black educators to reclaim power, remove their capes, and build liberated learning environments where both children and adults can thrive.

Dr. Charlynn Small & Taylor Small

Black educators are advocates, protectors, and culture keepers.

In this powerful intergenerational conversation, Dr. Charlynn Small and her daughter, Taylor Small, reflect on their journeys as HBCU graduates and Black educators, discussing the critical role representation, cultural understanding, and advocacy play in the lives of Black students and families. Drawing from Dr. Small’s 30 years and Taylor’s 3 years of experience, the duo unpack how Black educators counter biased assessments, hostile school environments, and systemic inequities with care, expertise, and humanity.

Education should be child-centered, not profit-driven.

The episode also takes a clear-eyed look at the state of Black education today, including the impact of school vouchers, school choice, and legislative rollbacks on public education—particularly for Black, brown, and immigrant students. Together, Dr. Small and Taylor emphasize the importance of boundaries, self-care, and community to sustain the work, while naming a shared legacy rooted in love, equity, and preparing students to be not only successful learners, but good people.

“Education is the foundation”

Jamarquan Houston

https://www.allmylinks.com/Stairkeepers

“Representation shows you what’s possible.”

In this episode, educator and author Jamarquan Houston shares his journey from the classroom in Milwaukee to broader work advancing BIPOC representation and leadership. With experience teaching across K–12 and coordinating programs that expand opportunity, Jamarquan reflects on why Black educators matter, how seeing yourself reflected opens doors, and the realities of navigating the profession as a first-generation educator balancing purpose, pressure, and persistence.

“Don’t limit yourself—pack light and reach for the stars.”

Jamarquan discusses the state of Black education, the importance of intergenerational leadership, and staying ahead in a rapidly changing world shaped by technology and innovation. He also shares how continuous learning, authorship, and storytelling sustain his joy, including his books Entitlements: The Right To Be Happy, Vol. 1. Grounded in legacy, self-discovery, and service, this episode highlights Black educators as guides helping students (and communities) turn struggle into possibility.