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"The construction of our future is a problem of memory, a problem of accurately understanding
how we came to be
as we seek to make decisions about which way to go."

— Kalamu ya Salaam

Black Is Brilliant Course

This course – History and Contemporary Context of Black Education in New Orleans – is curated by Dr. Adrienne Dixson, Associate Professor of Education Leadership at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign and a New Orleans native.

It is designed to help participants learn about the remarkable efforts of Black people in New Orleans to pursue and create equitable, rigorous, and high quality educational experiences for children.

It is for anyone interested in unapologetic Black education in New Orleans, understood by us as an educational environment in which Black children, Black educators, and Blacks schools are prioritized and thriving.

Complete the 8 modules at your own pace and earn a special certificate and recognition gift from BE NOLA.

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A Loving Note on the Black Is Brilliant

Course + Syllabus

This course is a labor of love. It is a  reflection of our organization’s deep-seated belief that quality Black educators supported to do their best work are very necessary for Black children in New Orleans to thrive. This course grows from our 2020 Report which asked: What do we need to do to support the development of Quality Black Educators for New Orleans? One thing we learned is that the Quality Black Educators our community needs are not thriving in our current system and that the barriers are as much structural as they are pedagogical.

Core concepts that ground the Black Is Brilliant Course are the Education Debt and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. The course provides an introduction to these concepts from the Black scholars who originated them and then asks how these ideas can help us address some of our biggest challenges.

This course is for anyone interested in expanding their thinking about  the deep Black educational history and pedagogy we can learn from as we imagine how to go forward.  Our hope is that this will be a living and breathing course that grows and evolves over time. An electronic syllabus available to course completers will provide a deeper curation of thinkers, written works, photographers + filmmakers.

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Course

Modules

This course is organized into eight (8) modules ranging from 15-30 minutes each. Each module is designed to provide an independent experience so that participants can navigate them in any order that meets their interest. 

  • Module 0:
    Welcome and Invocation
  • Module 1:
    The Education Debt In New Orleans
  • Module 2:
    The History of Black Educational brilliance in the South
  • Module 3:
    The History of Black Educational brilliance in New Orleans
  • Module 4:

    Culturally Relevant Pedagogy 

  • Module 5:
    Why Black Teachers Matter in New Orleans
  • Module 6:
    Funding (In)equity and Supporting all Schools and All Students
  • Module 7:

    Where Do We Go from Here?

Our Objectives

Participants in this course will:

  1. Gain a deeper understanding of the history of struggle, resistance and brilliance of Black education in New Orleans;
  2. Gain a deeper appreciation for the history of dedication, commitment and pedagogical excellence of Black teachers in New Orleans public schools;
  3. Gain a deeper understanding of the funding structures for public education in New Orleans;
  4. Hear from grassroots voices dedicated to educational equity in public education in New Orleans;

After you complete the Course you will receive a Certificate of Completion and 4 continuing education units (CEUs).

Our Beliefs

We believe that in order to get to better solutions to the challenges we face we have to change the narrative about public education in New Orleans. This requires:

  1. Literacy about the history of Black brilliance in New Orleans education as an essential archive of strategy, theory, and practice to make educational equity attainable and possible in our generation;
  2. Clarity about the values undergirding our educational policies and practices;
  3. Dedicated resources to develop and support Quality Black Educators; 
  4. A systemwide commitment  to organizing with Black families, students, educators, community members, and schools.
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