Teaching for Black Lives
Study Groups Featured in Truthout

In a time when forgetting history has been mandated by law, we must remember the power of study groups as an antidote to isolation and fear.

In the December 2024 Truthout article Teachers Turn to Study Groups for Anti-Racist Learning as History Is Whitewashed, Jesse Hagopian and Ursula Wolfe-Rocca describe the power of the Teaching for Black Lives study groups. Here is an excerpt,

There is one story of educator resistance that has not been reported on: the Teaching for Black Lives (T4BL) study groups and the more than 3,795 educators from across the country — including in states that have prohibited anti-racist education — who have come together over the last several years to read, learn, reflect, and struggle for justice in classrooms and schools. Hundreds of T4BL study groups have formed since 2020, including groups comprised of teachers across Florida, educators from Wake County School District (K–12) in North Carolina and educators from Hayward Unified School District (pre-K–12) in California.

At most schools, isolation is the norm. Teachers scarcely have time to use the bathroom between classes, answer emails and plan lessons during their prep periods, and eat a nourishing meal during their lunch “break.” We have yet to see a place on a school’s daily bell schedule labeled “time to build meaningful relationships with other adults in the school.” Too often, professional development is imposed on educators and feels tangential to the most pressing issues in education. Study groups provide educators with a reliable structure of support and community, while allowing educators to direct their own professional development.