Our Affirmation Statement
Sharif El-Mekki, founder and CEO of The Center for Black Educator Development, issued the following statement in response to recent news stories:
Over the past couple of weeks, several radical propaganda outlets have published stories that falsely describe the work of The Center for Black Educator Development (CBED). These articles are full of disinformation, misinformation, and baseless accusations.
I have always been proud and transparent about my background and upbringing, and I stand by the values instilled in me throughout my life. The attacks from the right-wing “media” on CBED – an organization that seeks to rebuild the national Black teacher pipeline – stem from a place of division and discord. It is a distraction from the real issues that educators and students face in today’s classrooms.
We must constantly remind ourselves that collective empowerment, educational equity, and social inclusivity are part of a long-term vision that improves positive outcomes for all students and the effectiveness of educators — goals that remain unmet for far too many students.
More than half of all U.S. students are children of color, but only 21% of teachers are people of color. Furthermore, 40% of the nation’s public schools do not have a single teacher of color on record. Research tells us that all students, regardless of race or ethnicity, benefit socially, emotionally, and academically from a diverse teacher workforce. CBED leverages this well-documented research to do our work. We believe that Black students are best positioned for success when they have access to teachers who can serve as mirrors, not just windows, to their world.
CBED remains unapologetically committed to our mission to achieve educational equity and racial justice by rebuilding the national Black teacher pipeline and the work ahead, because we know that when Black educators are provided academic pathways, professional development and support that, ultimately, all students do better.
We invite you to join our movement to rebuild the national Black teacher pipeline. Follow us on social media, subscribe to our email, and/or donate if you believe in the power of Black teachers in our classrooms.
