Welcome to The Liberation Lab©️ Podcast, insights and interviews for the disruptive educator. I’m your host, Bobby Morgan - speaker, principal, consultant, and lifelong disruptor committed to building schools that center justice, genius, and belonging.

🔗Connect with Bobby: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hopp.bio/liberationlab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🌐Learn More: Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.myliberationlab.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more resources, tools, and insights.

About This Episode:

In this episode of the Liberation Lab podcast, Bobby and Sharif El-Mekki discuss the critical importance of Black educators and the unique pedagogical traditions that have emerged from Black communities. They explore the role of joy in education, the necessity of creating safe learning environments, and the impact of biases on teaching practices. El-Mekki emphasizes the need for educators to examine their mindsets and biases while providing practical steps to improve Black students' educational outcomes. The conversation also touches on education's current challenges and the importance of critical thinking in navigating these issues. In this conversation, Sharif and Bobby discuss the critical role of black educators in shaping the future of education. They explore the ethics of care, community responsibility, and the need for a transformative approach to teacher preparation.

About My Guest:

Before establishing the Center, Sharif served as the U.S. Department of Education Principal Ambassador Fellow under the Obama Administration and principal of Mastery Charter Shoemaker. During his principalship, Shoemaker received the prestigious EPIC award for three consecutive years as one of the top three schools in the country for accelerating student achievement levels. 

In 2014, Sharif founded The Fellowship: Black Male Educators for Social Justice, an organization dedicated to recruiting, retaining and developing Black male teachers. In 2019, he left his principal post to devote his full time to rebuilding the national Black teacher pipeline.  

Sharif blogs on Phillys7thWard and is a founding member of the 8 Black Hands and Freedom Friday podcasts. He also serves on several boards and committees focused on racial justice and educational equity.

Connect with Sharif:

Instagram: @centerblacked

Website: https://linktr.ee/centerblacked