Black Educators: A Rich Tradition that Helped to Shape a Nation
We often hear about a lack of diversity among educators, but rarely do we hear about the tradition of Black educators that goes back centuries. In this presentation, Sharif El-Mekki, founder and CEO of the Center for Black Educator Development, will take us on a journey through history to discover just how integral Black educators have been to shaping this country, and the tradition of educating that they left behind. There will be a catered reception following the presentation where all guests are invited to join and network with other like-minded individuals.
Location: Erie Center for Arts & Technology (ECAT)—650 East Ave. Suite 120, Erie, PA 16503.
Date/Time: Thursday, September 29 @ 6:00 p.m.
Admission: FREE. Please register in advance. A catered reception will follow this presentation.
Parking: lot at 7th street entrance, 7th street parking.
Sharif El-Mekki, M.Ed., is the Founder and CEO of the Center for Black Educator Development. The Center exists to ensure that there will be equity in the recruiting, training, hiring, and retention of quality educators that reflect the cultural backgrounds and share common socio-political interests of the students they serve. Among initiatives, El-Mekki is a leader with the Pennsylvania Educator Diversity Consortium, a grassroots organization of leaders striving to increase the number of teachers of color, as well as culturally-responsive and sustaining educators in Pennsylvania. El-Mekki is a former principal and teacher and the founder of The Fellowship: Black Male Educators for Social Justice. He is a founding member of the Mayor’s Commission on African American Males, former U.S. Department of Education Principal Ambassador Fellow, U.S. delegate to the International Summit on Teaching and Learning, and the Conference on Integrating Refugees and Immigrants into Schools. El-Mekki is a popular blogger of Seventh Ward and a podcaster on 8 Black Hands.