42 min
Education As Liberation Episode 16 WHBLE Presents Education As Liberation Hosted by Ah-Keisha McCans
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- Education
Solving the Inequities that Divide
WHBLE’s CEO, award-winning writer and director, Ah-Keisha McCants talks with Kwame Sarfo-Mensah, founder of Identity Talk Consulting. A former math teacher in Philadelphia and Boston public schools, Kwame talks about the rampant and ignored racial and socioeconomic disparities in educational access, the reactionary approach of schools in the midst of the pandemic, and what might be gained in meeting the demand for alternative career pathway opportunities as a means of achievement and liberation for Black students and their peers.
Kwame Sarfo-Mensa is the founder of Identity Talk Consulting, LLC., an independent educational consulting firm that provides professional development and consulting services to educators globally who desire to enhance their instructional practices and reach their utmost potential in the classroom. Throughout his 14-year career as a public school educator, author, and entrepreneur, Kwame has been on a personal mission to uplift and empower educators who are committed to reversing the ills of the public education system in America and globally. As a staunch ambassador and advocate for teacher empowerment, Kwame has spoken at numerous national education conferences and worked diligently to support the recruitment and retention of teachers of color in the education system. In January 2019, he was one of 35 Massachusetts teachers of color by Commissioner Jeff Riley to be in the inaugural cohort of the InSPIRED (In-Service Professionals Increasing Racial and Ethnic Diversity) Fellowship, an initiative organized by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education for veteran teachers of color to recruit students of color at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate levels to teach in targeted districts within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As an InSPIRED Teaching Fellow, Kwame facilitated professional development workshops for aspiring teachers at universities such as Boston College, UMass Boston, and Worcester State University and has served as a guest speaker for non-profit teacher pipeline programs such as Generation Teach and Worcester Public Schools’ Future Teachers Academy.
Recognizing the increasing demand for alternative career pathway opportunities within the Black and Latinx teaching community in the Greater Boston area, Kwame founded and organized the inaugural Boston Edupreneurs of Color Symposium, a one-day community event for educators and community members looking to leverage their skill sets as educators to give back to the community, learn valuable lessons about the importance of entrepreneurship and the necessary steps they need to build a successful small business and/or a non-profit organization. A proud graduate of Temple University, Kwame holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics and a Master's Degree in Education. He was honored as the 2019 Member of the Year by Black Educators Rock, Inc. for his unwavering commitment to the advancement of the teacher profession. As he has ascended the ranks of the teaching profession, Kwame has always stayed true to his identity as an educator and is motivated to help others do the same as they navigate their educator journeys.
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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/whble/message
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/whble/support
Solving the Inequities that Divide
WHBLE’s CEO, award-winning writer and director, Ah-Keisha McCants talks with Kwame Sarfo-Mensah, founder of Identity Talk Consulting. A former math teacher in Philadelphia and Boston public schools, Kwame talks about the rampant and ignored racial and socioeconomic disparities in educational access, the reactionary approach of schools in the midst of the pandemic, and what might be gained in meeting the demand for alternative career pathway opportunities as a means of achievement and liberation for Black students and their peers.
Kwame Sarfo-Mensa is the founder of Identity Talk Consulting, LLC., an independent educational consulting firm that provides professional development and consulting services to educators globally who desire to enhance their instructional practices and reach their utmost potential in the classroom. Throughout his 14-year career as a public school educator, author, and entrepreneur, Kwame has been on a personal mission to uplift and empower educators who are committed to reversing the ills of the public education system in America and globally. As a staunch ambassador and advocate for teacher empowerment, Kwame has spoken at numerous national education conferences and worked diligently to support the recruitment and retention of teachers of color in the education system. In January 2019, he was one of 35 Massachusetts teachers of color by Commissioner Jeff Riley to be in the inaugural cohort of the InSPIRED (In-Service Professionals Increasing Racial and Ethnic Diversity) Fellowship, an initiative organized by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education for veteran teachers of color to recruit students of color at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate levels to teach in targeted districts within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As an InSPIRED Teaching Fellow, Kwame facilitated professional development workshops for aspiring teachers at universities such as Boston College, UMass Boston, and Worcester State University and has served as a guest speaker for non-profit teacher pipeline programs such as Generation Teach and Worcester Public Schools’ Future Teachers Academy.
Recognizing the increasing demand for alternative career pathway opportunities within the Black and Latinx teaching community in the Greater Boston area, Kwame founded and organized the inaugural Boston Edupreneurs of Color Symposium, a one-day community event for educators and community members looking to leverage their skill sets as educators to give back to the community, learn valuable lessons about the importance of entrepreneurship and the necessary steps they need to build a successful small business and/or a non-profit organization. A proud graduate of Temple University, Kwame holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics and a Master's Degree in Education. He was honored as the 2019 Member of the Year by Black Educators Rock, Inc. for his unwavering commitment to the advancement of the teacher profession. As he has ascended the ranks of the teaching profession, Kwame has always stayed true to his identity as an educator and is motivated to help others do the same as they navigate their educator journeys.
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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/whble/message
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/whble/support
42 min