Kira Tookes is an experienced and recognized leader in the organizing space, responsible for educator impact in federal, state, local, district, and school-wide policy and opinion-shifting. Kira is a proud alumna of Howard University in Washington, DC.
Tag: Teachers of Color
Black Women Educators are Tearing Down Barriers for Equity. We Salute Them for Women’s History Month.
Original post by Marquita Brown, Profound Ladies There’s no denying the difficulty Black students and teachers face while navigating the coronavirus pandemic and systemic racism that disproportionately burden or claim their lives. One thing that can help, at least at school, is creating trauma-informed, antiracist classrooms and spaces to mitigate the educational disparities that have worsened for Black students during the…
Georgia Public Schools Fail Black Students in the areas of Equity and Teacher Diversity.
The pandemic took down all the smoke, mirrors, and facades about how the education Black children have been receiving. So here’s the deal. We’ve been talking about equity in public schools for Black children for far too long. The current system does not work, and we all know this. We need a better education system. Period! Georgia teachers and students are…
Georgia May Have Saved The Nation But It Sure As Hell Ain’t Saving Its Teachers!
Recently, the alarming numbers of Georgia educators passing away due to COVID-19 is not only alarming but traumatizing. In the State of Georgia’s largest and most diverse school district, Gwinnett County Public Schools, the promises of equity, empowering and protecting all students just simply aren’t being lived up too. After the deaths of numerous teachers and educators in Georgia from…
As Black Educators, Will America Include Us?
During this past school year, I took eight minutes out of each lesson to address social justice and the realities of being Black and brown citizens in America facing an evergoing battle for diversity, equity, and inclusion. They won’t get realistic, real-life messages of struggles Black Americans have faced from the ’80s until now. Most public education systems don’t have…
An Open Letter to the GaPSC to Remove EdTPA Requirements for Teachers
May 16, 2020 Dear Georgia Professional Standards Commission, I am a Black male educator, part of the 2% of black male educators in schools. My story made national headlines as I highlighted why I left school administration to return to the classroom to serve as a special education teacher. It was a hard decision; however, after being put in a…
Dear Gov. Kemp, Georgia’s Reopening Puts Lower Income Families at Risk!
Dear Governor Kemp, At the onset of the decision you made to reopen Georgia, I wanted to believe that this was due to the economy. However, you made it clear that it was because of the data when you stated to Georgia residents in your press conference that, “the data is on your side!” But who is on the side…