‘Power to the Pupil’: Black educators gather in Philly to discuss the future of teaching

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More than 1,000 Black educators met in Philadelphia this past weekend for the eighth annual Black Men in Education Convening.

The event, hosted by the Center for Black Educator Development, focused on addressing the nationwide shortage of Black teachers while preparing for the future of education in the era of emerging technology.

The three-day conference featured seven panels and over 70 breakout sessions on topics ranging from mental health to preparing for the involvement of artificial intelligence in education.

Founder and CEO Sharif El-Mekki said the conference brings together every generation and is meant to create a community that “allows us and empowers us in a way that is most conducive for student outcomes.”

The year’s theme, “Power to the Pupil,” coincided with the 35th anniversary of Public Enemy’s influential hip-hop album “Fear of a Black Planet.” A longtime fan of the group, El-Mekki and his staff drew on the album’s influence to underscore the theme of elevating voices across generations.

Winston Cox, the board chairman of the Center for Black Educator Development, said the gathering’s community and cross-generational energy keep him coming back.

“My son and daughter grew up in this space,” he said. “We look forward to it every year.”

In 2021, Black men made up just over 1% of the nation’s public school teachers, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In Philadelphia, where Black students are the majority, only 4% of teachers were Black men as of 2022.

Research from the National Bureau of Economic Research shows Black and other students of color do better in the classroom when taught by educators of color. But the number of Black educators in Philadelphia has declined sharply — from more than 4,000 in 2000 to about 2,800 in 2022.

In the wake of the pandemic, educators across the country left the profession due to burnout, mental strain and a lack of recognition, a trend often referred to as the “Great Teacher Resignation.” Black educators face additional challenges. A 2021 study of 350 Black math teachers found that their experiences with racial microaggressions accounted for 17% of their thoughts of leaving the profession. Future Black educators say these conditions, along with the Trump administration’s executive orders on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the state’s adjustment to culturally focused subject matter, have them concerned.