BIPOC Future Teachers @ OISE (BIPOCFT@OISE)

BIPOC Future Teachers (BIPOCFT@OISE) (formerly Educators of Colour in Conversation) is a space for Master of Teaching (MT) candidates, future K-12 teachers, who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) to gather, learn, and uplift one another as they navigate the MT Program and prepare to teach in K-12 schools and beyond.

BIPOCFT@OISE recognizes BIPOC communities are oppressed by White supremacy; White supremacy interlocks with anti-Indigenous racism and anti-Black racism, and deeply affects Indigenous communities and Black communities in ways settlers from communities of Colour may not experience; and BIPOC communities experience racism differently. Most BIPOC MT candidates are preparing to work in K-12 schools in the Greater Toronto Area, where BIPOC teachers and administrators remain minoritized. The majority of children and youth in K-12 schools are now from BIPOC communities, and all children and youth need BIPOC teachers in their classrooms and schools.

BIPOCFT@OISE is facilitated, private, and confidential.

History

Dr. Sameena Eidoo created Educators of Colour in Conversation (EOCC) in 2014 to support OISE students from BIPOC communities, and reimagined Educators of Colour In Conversation as BIPOC Future Teachers @ OISE in 2021.

Contact Information

For more information about BIPOCFT@OISE and upcoming gatherings, please write to bipocfutureteachers@gmail.com.

During the 2021-22 academic year, we will continue to meet remotely via Zoom.

Coordinator & Facilitator: Dr. Sameena Eidoo (she, her)

Resources

Racial Affinity Groups

Blackwell, K. (2018, August 9). Why people of Color need spaces without White people. The Arrow. https://arrow-journal.org/why-people-of-color-need-spaces-without-white-people/

Eidoo, S. (2017). Solidarity as praxis: Injury, ethics, and hope in teacher education. In B. Picower & R. Kohli (Eds.) Confronting racism in teacher education: Counternarratives of critical practice (pp. 110-117). Routledge.

Pour-Khourshid, F. (2018). Cultivating sacred spaces: a racial affinity group approach to support critical educators of Color. Teaching Education. 29(4), 318-329.

Smith, W. A., Yosso, T. J., & Solòrzano, D. G. (2006). Challenging racial battle fatigue on historically White campuses: A critical race examination of race-related stress. In C. A. Stanley. (Ed.). Faculty of Color: Teaching predominantly White colleagues and universities (pp. 299-327). Anker Publishing.

Tatum, B. D. (2017). Why are all the Black kids sitting together in the cafeteria? And other conversations about race. Basic Books.

Teacher Diversity Gap

Abawi, Z. (2021). The effectiveness of educational policy for bias-free teacher hiring: Critical insights to enhance diversity in the Canadian teacher workforce. Routledge.

Dubinski, K. (2020, June 15). Did you ever have a Black teacher? We spoke to 3 educators who want the answer to be yes. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/london-ontario-black-teachers-1.5608255

Lac, V. T. (2019). The critical educators of color pipeline. Leveraging youth research to nuture future critical educators of color. The Urban Review, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-019-00507-4

Moss, J. (2016). Where are all the teachers of color? Ed. Harvard Ed. Magazine. https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/ed/16/05/where-are-all-teachers-color

Turner, T. (2014, October 30). Teacher diversity gap. https://www.turnerconsultinggroup.ca/blog/teacher-diversity-gap

Vangool, H. (2020, September 3). Schools need BIPOC educators now more than ever. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/op-ed-sask-diversity-teachers-bipoc-1.5703711