What does learning look like when culture, identity, and lived experience are centered? In Spring 2025, Black teachers across Oakland came together for our Cultivating Culturally Responsive Practices book study—a space to reflect, grow, and root their teaching in love, identity, and liberation. Grounded in Zaretta Hammond’s Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain, the six-session series offered joyful inquiry, healing, and practical tools to transform classroom culture. Held in affinity-based community, this experience affirmed what we’ve always known: when Black teachers lead and learn together, transformation takes root.
Watch this short video highlighting our text study and hear directly from three Black Educators—Drew Watson, Jason Moffitt, and Devynn Taylor— whose reflections show what becomes possible when culturally responsive teaching is paired with care, connection, and trust.
