Centering Black Children in Education (CBCE) is mounting a movement. Created in 2021, CBCE consistently provides a powerful counter-narrative to challenge systemic racism and educational inequities through groundbreaking programming and initiatives. Our collective ultimate aim is liberatory education for Black children.
Unlike traditional educational organizations, CBCE is more than just a gathering of academics and educators. It’s a space where Black students, parents, educators, and community members come together to celebrate Black children, identify harmful policies and practices, and advocate for transformative change. CBCE’s central components coalesce into a fugitive space, a homeplace for resistance against oppressive forces that have historically marginalized Black children.
Dr. Clyde Barnett III
At the heart of CBCE lies a commitment to dismantling deficit narratives, promoting culturally responsive pedagogies, and enacting activism that prioritizes radical love for and affirmation of Black students’ brilliance. For instance, CBCE’s annual conference offers free and virtual workshops, panels, and keynote addresses led by renowned scholars and educators such as Drs. Tyrone Howard, Gloria Ladson-Billings, Rich Milner, and Bettina Love. These experts, and many more, share critical knowledge and insights about injustice in schools to disrupt inequity, promote inclusive learning environments, and foster belonging for Black folks. But CBCE is more than just a conference; it’s a movement.
A professional learning community for Black women principals, about Black women principals, by Black women principals.
The Leading Well Professional Learning Community offers Black women school leaders in Detroit a supportive community for Black principals to prioritize their own health and wellness. Recognizing that effective leaders are holistically well leaders, principals participate in workshops, coaching sessions, and peer support groups to learn wellness strategies and develop the dispositions and skills they need to lead effectively. To support Black women in revolutionary wellness work that should transform whole school communities, students and parents are receiving the same exposure to wellness, action research, and leadership. Leading Well leaders just returned from a summer retreat in Ghana, have started their school year refreshed with a renewed commitment to lead their schools well, and are committed to their wellness plans.
Another exciting program CBCE offers is the Sankofa Student Agency Coalition (SSAC). Leading Well curriculum is shared with students who want to make transformative change alongside their principals. By providing students with the tools and knowledge the leaders of their schools receive, CBCE provides opportunities for them to be active participants in their own education, and to advocate for themselves and their peers. The coalition is helping to cultivate a new generation of leaders who are committed to realizing justice for their communities. Detroit middle and high school students meet monthly at Wayne State University to fellowship, learn how to lead for change, and develop participatory action research projects with a focus on developing substantive policy changes within their schools and districts. The 2025 coalition meetings will begin in February 2025, Black History Month, and will continue monthly until the end of the academic year.
CBCE also places a strong emphasis on professional development for educators through the Leading for Equity and Justice Certificate Program (LEJ) in partnership with Eastern Michigan University’s Professional Programs and Trainings Office. Through this online course, students, educators, parents, and community members, can learn about culturally responsive, transformative, and social justice leadership, as well as other evidence-based practices that can help them to create more inclusive and equitable classrooms. By investing in the professional development of educators, CBCE is working to ensure that all children have access to high-quality education. 
Dr. Rema Reynolds Vassar
A key component of CBCE is the Sankofa Speaker Series which brings thinkers from across the nation to consider the ways educators, caregivers, students, and community members can construct liberating educative spaces for Black children. This free and virtual series brings together scholars dedicated to addressing systemic inequities in a relaxed, lunch-and-learn style, allowing for open dialogue and engagement with equally dedicated citizens. Everyone is invited as one of CBCE’s goals is ensuring that knowledge and insights shared during the series reaches folks in diverse contexts across the world and has a lasting impact. The 2025 scholar series will begin in January 2025 and continue through July 2025 leading to the culminating August conference.
Finally, the annual August conference engages and inspires citizen-scholars interested in discovering their roles in eliminating systemic anti-Black racism that mediates Black children’s outcomes. The conference is an urgent call-to-action centering Black children’s education and provides an additional space for community-building, as a sense of community is essential for fostering a culture of support and solidarity among Black educators and families. Save the dates for #CBCE25, running August 4-11, 2025! Submit a proposal to present at #CBCE25 today!
CBCE is excited to announce three (3) new programmatic components designed to further our mission.Dr. Rema Reynolds Vassar
● Parent Engagement: We understand the critical role parents play in their children’s education. To support parents in their advocacy efforts, CBCE has partnered with Leading Well principals to host parent engagement workshops throughout the academic year. Parents can learn practical ways to advocate for educational equity and inclusion alongside their children and building leaders. At CBCE, students, parents, and principals all receive the same content with the goal of triangulated impact. Stronger partnerships between home and school can lead to improved outcomes for Black students.
● The Sankofa Graduate Research Conference: This exciting new virtual one-day conference provides a platform for graduate students to showcase their research on topics centering Black children’s education. By sharing their work with a wider audience, students can receive valuable feedback, connect with like-minded peers, and contribute to the growing body of knowledge around P-25 education and Black folks. The call for conference proposals is OPEN and the conference will be held Friday, February 21, 2025, from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.
● The Sankofa Research Intensive (SRI): This intensive is designed to provide doctoral students with a dedicated week to focus on developing the foundational chapters of their dissertation prospectus, proposal, and dissertation project. Through structured writing sessions, presentations, and coaching from researchers and faculty, personalized feedback, and peer support, participants will make significant progress toward completing the first three (3) chapters of their dissertation projects. The SRI will be held on campus at Wayne State University June 15-22, 2025. The application is open. Visit the CBCE website to learn more and apply today!
As CBCE continues to grow and evolve, we remain committed to our mission of centering Black children in education; the organization’s name and mission are the same. By providing a space for critical dialogue, professional development, and community-building, CBCE is helping to create a more inclusive, equitable, and just world.
Centering Black Children in Education insists that when we invest in Black children’s education, we are not only investing in and improving their individual futures but also transforming the future of the world.
Join us!
Dr. Clyde Barnett III is a senior research associate at Wayne State University and is executive director of Centering Black Children in Education.
Dr. Rema Reynolds Vassar is a professor of educational leadership and policy studies at Wayne State University and is the founder and creator of Centering Black Children in Education
#Centering #Black #Children #Education #Fugitive #Space #Resistance #CounterNarratives #Radical #Love
