There are traumas we experience as children, caused by our parents/caretakers, when we have been abandoned, whether physically and/or emotionally, that we take into our adulthood that drastically affect our lives in concerning ways.   

In the face of adversity and mistreatment in our day to day, one of two beings may show up:  the "Adult Self" or the "Inner Child."  Our inner child is that personality that each of us has that lives in the trauma and disappointment of our childhood.  In this episode, I give a summary of the four modes, focus on the Neglect Wound, and share a personal piece of myself.  

This serves as a verbal release that gives permission to self to step away from comparisons.  When it comes to your life, it is yours to live just like others must live theirs.  Discontinue the practice of aspiring to live the lives of others in an effort to achieve their acclaim, their acknowledgement, and their success.  Put the work in to focus on that which you were gifted - acknowledge those gifts, love those gifts, and use those gifts to walk the journey that has been carved specifically for you.  

Originally coined by Frederick Douglass and then mentioned by Dr. W.E.B DuBois in his book, The Souls of Black Folks, the color line as is referenced in DuBois work is the problem of the twentieth century.  Unfortunately, the color line is still a problem in the twenty-first century and gives power to many other forms of racism and degradation of which it empowers (equitable resources, wealth opportunities, voting rights, and etc).  As the fight for justice and equality continues, the assumption very well could be that demolishing the levers of inequality will more than likely truly weaken and erase the color line issue.    

This episode is the second part of the Racial Inequities in Schools topic which focuses on the inequities that teachers and educators of color face.  Unfortunately, the nuance of being an educator of color can be a difficult one to navigate...not because of the kids, but because of other educators...other adults.  Black educators often times treated unfairly which includes being treated as they are less qualified in comparison to white educators, are perceived to be more effective with discipline in comparison to curriculum, and arguably given less grace for growth than their Caucasian peers.  

This episode serves as an introduction to what I call "my classroom" and "my school" and everything that it is made of including some information about myself.  You will get an overview of the content of focus for this podcast; as well as, dive into the topic of focus - Critical Race Theory:  Racial Inequities in Schools (Part 1).  Listen as I discuss some inequities that our students of color face in an attempt to survive, achieve, and be seen in an institution that most times pushes many brown skin young people to the side and/or outside.