Identity Talk 4 Educators LIVE

In this episode, we're honored to have Tim Young, the founder of the independent film company McGriff Films.  In our conversation, Tim shares about his early life in Brockton, how he developed his love for filmmaking, the creation of his hit show, "Rockin' Wit McGriff", and much more!  To learn more about Tim's work, you can connect with him on the following social media platforms:  

FACEBOOK & YOUTUBE - McGriff Films                               INSTAGRAM - @mcgriff_films  

BIO: A proud native of Brockton, MA, Tim graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications from Newbury College, where he finished his basketball career as the 2nd all-time leading scorer with a total of 1,506 points.  He also earned "Rookie of the Year" honors as a freshman.  While at Newbury, he started to fall in love with filmmaking, producing his first film "Nitra" as a class project.  Since that moment, he founded his film company "McGriff Films", which produces, films, and television shows such as his hit show, "Rockin' Wit McGriff".  Tim also serves a great mentor for the youth.  When he's not filming, he works as a middle school teacher in Boston Public Schools and serves as a youth basketball coach.

In this episode, we have the honor of inviting award-winning educator Brian Keith Harris to the show.  In our conversation, Brian will share about the importance of mentoring boys of color, how teachers can use movement and mindfulness to address trauma in their students, the five ways to help boys of color be successful in the classroom, and much more!  To learn more about Brian's work, you can visit his website linktr.ee/briankeithharris or connect with him on the following social media platforms:  

INSTAGRAM - @brian_keith_harris, @sonsoffreedomdance, @cultivatingyoungkings                                 TWITTER - @iambriankeithh1  

BIO: 

Brian Keith Harris II is the Director of Outplacement and Graduate Support at the Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys in Washington, DC. He is the founder and Artistic Director of Sons  of Freedom Dance Institute, an organization that nurtures character, increases social awareness and builds a spiritual foundation for boys of color through classical and contemporary styles of dance. He is also the Director of Cultivating Young Kings, an organization that provides educational training for teachers, school districts and community leaders who work directly with boys of color.  He was named one of Black Enterprise Magazine’s 2019 BeModern Men Distinction and has received numerous awards for his work in changing the educational landscape for boys of color.  He is a licensed minister, lecturer and workshop facilitator and currently working on a Doctorate in Public Engagement from Wesley Theological Seminary. His doctoral work explores the intersection of spirituality and educational equity in urban communities.  He also earned a masters degree in divinity (M.Div) with an emphasis in Christian Education from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology and has an undergraduate degree in Print Journalism from Hampton University.

In this episode, we welcome award-winning author and educational consultant Dr. Elondra Napper to the show. In our conversation, Dr. Napper will talk in depth about her personal journey as an educator, the release of her two new books ("My Name is Rona!" and "The Quarantine Chronicles), and the launch of the Champions STREAM Academy. To learn more about Dr. Napper's work, you can visit her website at www.encouragingchampionsllc.org or connect with her on the following social media platforms:

FACEBOOK - Encouraging Champions, LLC.

BIO:

Dr. Napper supports educators and educational leaders by teaching them how to incorporate science in guided reading instruction in elementary schools and in middle school classrooms using her curriculum and pedagogical model for teaching and learning called Science is LiT: Science Looks Like Me. Using evidence-based strategies and elements of instructional design, she supports educator’s development by using vocabulary, guided reading components and science inquiry into a lab environment to close the knowledge and culturally responsive gap while incorporating social and emotional strategies.

She has recently launched Champions STREAMA Academy, an online school for students to learn STREAMA (Science Technology Reading Engineering Arts, Music, Math and Agriculture). She is in the process of creating an online space to support teachers and administrators to receive professional development to support Professional Learning Communities specifically focused on instructional leadership, culturally responsive pedagogy and social- emotional learning. Dr. Napper believes that Every Child Needs a Champion and it is her mission to encouraging educators to exercise the champion in them so they can build the champion scholars in their classrooms and schools.

In this episode, we welcome high school math teacher Shariya' Gray to the show! In our episode, Shariya' shares how she transformed into the "Black-Matician", the lack of Black women representation in the mathematics field, the importance of HBCUs in the Black community, and much more! To follow Shariya's work, you can visit her website theblackmatician.weebly.com or connect with her on the following social media platforms:

BIO:

In this episode, we are excited to welcome 13-year old entrepreneur Jada Huffman, founder and CEO of "Official I Am Apparel". On this episode, she will share her personal journey as a young entrepreneur, the importance of students of color being able to learn about their history in public schools, and the role her family has played in her entrepreneurial journey.  To learn more about Jada's work, you can visit the "I Am Apparel" website at officialiamapparel.com or you can connect with her on the following platforms:  

INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK - @official_iam_apparel                                                          TWITTER - @iam_apparel  

BIO: Jada Huffman is the founder & CEO of Official I Am Apparel. She is a Long Island, NY native and will be entering her freshman year of high school.  As a student, Jada did not see herself in the history that was being taught. Her brother would always tell her about the great influential people of color that impacted history. She began to understand how big of an impact learning your history makes. Unfortunately, Jada could not find these amazing people in school or her history books. She wanted to find a way to share these influential stories in a way that would appeal to people just like her and shed light on the huge role people of color have made in history. At that moment “Official I Am Apparel”, History You Wear was born. The brand sells T-shirts that interact with an app to teach people about specific heroes and revolutionaries.

In this episode, we welcome our good friend Dr. Marquita Blades to the show. In our conversation, she shares about her personal journey as an educator, the evolution of the Gyrlfriend Collective, and her current work as a Teacher EmPOWAARment specialist. To learn more about Dr. Blades' work, you can visit the website at drmarquitablades.com or you can connect with her on the following social media platforms:

In this episode, we welcome aspiring educators Damian Anderson & Daren Frett, hosts of the Future Educators Talk podcast. In our conversation, the gentlemen will share about their aspirations to become teachers and the many projects they are working on to shift the educational paradigm. To learn more about their work, you can follow them on the following social media platforms:

FACEBOOK - Future Educators Talk

BIO:

Andrew Frett is a co-host of the "Future Educators Talk" Podcast and the "Across The State Podcast", and is the host of the Future Educators Talk Podcast mini-series, "Frett's Education Thoughts." He is planning to attend Vance-Granville Community College in the fall of 2020 to get his Associate's degree and then transfer to a four-year college to get his bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. Teaching and helping people are his biggest passions and once he retires from the education field, he plans on being an anchor or reporter at a local news station.

In this episode, we're honored to have Isis Spann on the show. She is the founder of Mrs. Spann's FUNdamentals of Learning and she'll be sharing with us the importance of implementing a growth mindset so that students are more engaged in the classroom virtually and physically. To learn more Isis' work, you can visit her website at isisspann.com or connect with her on the following social media platforms:

FACEBOOK: Isis Amelia Spann or Mrs. Spann's FUNDamentals of Learning

BIO:

In this episode, entrepreneur educator Patricia Clahar will join us to discuss the benefits of entrepreneurship for young kids & teens and the need for more entrepreneurship programs in schools.  If you're a parent or a young person who's thinking about starting your own business, you don't want to miss this discussion!  To learn more about Patricia's work, you can visit her business website at teachentrepreneurshipforkids.com or connect with her on the following social media platforms:  

FACEBOOK - Patricia Clahar or Hands-On Entrepreneurship for Kids                              INSTAGRAM - @handsonentrepreneurship4kids   

BIO: Patricia Clahar is an education enrichment specialist who focuses on providing entrepreneurship education for kids and teens. She is the founder of Hands-On Entrepreneurship for Kids, which provides in-person and online solutions to families, schools and youth organizations that want to support young entrepreneurs. Patricia graduated from Harvard University (BA) and Columbia University (MBA) and has been an educator for over 12 years.

In this episode, we're happy to invite Jonathan C. W. Jones, founder of Ideation4, to the show to share about his philanthropic work in the Greater Minnesota area and announce his new publication, UpLIFT, which will feature the brilliance of black male educators across the nation!  To learn more about Jonathan's work, you can visit the Ideation4 website at ideation4.com or connect with him on the following social media platforms:  

FACEBOOK - Ideation4              INSTAGRAM - @ideation_4             TWITTER - @ideation4_sjc  

BIO: 

Jonathan C. W. Jones is a seasoned award winning educator, founder and CEO of Ideation4 who works with educators, schools, districts, nonprofit professionals and under resourced communities through proposal workshops, coaching, consulting and innovation. His passion lies across the intersections of education, business and philanthropy. Jonathan believes in the power of ideas and helping others realize they have the power to make their ideas into reality. Jonathan has landed several local and national grants & awards from Bush Foundation to NASA, and has collaborated with several organizations to impact students, educators and community builders in the Twin Cities area.  Jonathan recently participated in Headwaters Foundation for Justice (HFJ) The giving Project Cohort 5 raising over $250,000 for 12 organizations for and by people of color. Currently, works as an instructional coach for Saint Paul Public School working out of the Office of Specialized Services. He hold a BA and Masters Degree in Special Education and a K-12 Administrator License. His company Ideation4 is creating publications 4Educators (coming fall 2020), UpLIFT and Connect. Proceeds from both publications will be used to establish,  Fund4Good our new philanthropic initiative. These innovations will allow our company to live out our core values of learning, collaboration, equity & empowerment by providing micro grants to Black, Indigenous People of Color who are builders in their community.  Jonathan is looking to deepen his understanding of how fundraising and grantmaking can address inequities in the Twin Cities.