Educators for Black Lives
Educators have demanding careers. Teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has presented another set of challenges for educators. Being thrust into adapting to virtual learning is no easy feat. While navigating the challenges of COVID-19 within their virtual classrooms, educators also took on the role and responsibility of reassuring Black students and their families that their lives mattered. As a result of the murders of Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, George Floyd, and too many others at the hands of police officers, we’ve seen educators facilitate and engage in necessary and courageous conversations around racism and anti-Blackness. Many of these conversations have been led by Black educators who do the heavy lifting while remaining overwhelmingly under-represented and undervalued in public schools across the United States.
Like countless educators, we have seen the videos and hashtags that have spread across social media in recent months. We’ve seen the devastating impacts of COVID-19 across the world, and we know that this pain and devastation is only heightened for the Black community, where the impacts of this virus disproportionately fall.
We have also witnessed the uprising against anti-Black racism in New England communities and across the globe. We hear both the pain and hope in the rallying cry of Black Lives Matter. We, alongside other philanthropic organizations across the nation, have been reminded that while COVID-19 is new, systemic racism affecting Black communities and anti-Blackness are foundational to the United States. Inequities persist for many Black communities who have been underserved and defunded for generations — Black educators and students matter.
At the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, our mission is to champion efforts that prioritize community goals that challenge racial inequities and advance excellent, student-centered public education for all New England youth. We are committed to using our power and privilege as a philanthropic organization to support efforts that challenge racism and anti-Blackness.
Earlier this year, we announced our new grantmaking strategy that puts our focus on advancing racial equity in public education. However, with the onset of the pandemic, we realized this wasn’t enough. We created a rapid response fund, Racism is a Virus Too, to address both Asian American Pacific Islander communities impacted by anti-Asian racism and xenophobia as well as other communities of color disproportionately impacted by the virus.
Today we are proud to announce the recipients of another rapid response fund, Educators for Black Lives. In response to the incredible work of the Black Lives Matter movement and the pervasive issue of anti-Black racism, the Nellie Mae Education Foundation is supporting educators who have been at the forefront of facilitating necessary and courageous conversations and practices centered on eradicating anti-Blackness in their virtual classrooms, schools, and communities across New England. These projects are rooted in challenging anti-Blackness and centering the voices, perspectives, and experiences of Black people. We are proud to support all of these educators and organizations and look forward to continuing in the work of advancing racial equity with them.
Learn more about our Educators for Black Lives Grantees — Nellie Mae Ed. Fdn. — Medium
