Journal of a Black Teacher

By Don Allen - Journal of A Black Teacher (2025) Author Note Don Allen is an educator, researcher, and writer based in St. Paul, Minnesota. He founded the Journal of a Black Teacher and is a doctoral candidate in education leadership. He specializes in charter and public schools and community reform in historically underperforming and under-led learning organization systems in urban areas. Abstract This editorial addresses the tragic and preventable death of an 11-year-old boy in North Minneapolis. It challenges the performative politics of local leadership, particularly leaders of color, and the silence of historically influential organizations like the NAACP and Urban League. It calls for a public reckoning, a radical reimagining of public/charter school education, safety, and community accountability with a data-informed investment in the children and families of North Minneapolis. Editorial Opinion There is no excuse… none, for an 11-year-old to be shot and killed in his own neig...

  By Don Allen (Editorial Opinion) Journal of A Black Teacher (2024)       The landmark decision of  Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954 is often awkwardly celebrated as a monumental victory in the struggle for civil rights and social justice in the United States. By declaring racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, the Supreme Court set the stage for the desegregation of American society, promoting equality in education. However, while the decision was a significant step forward in many respects, it also had unintended and adverse consequences for Black educators, which continue to resonate in 2024. This paper aims to meet the assignment prerequisites by exploring the connections between the policy established by Brown vs. Board and the social justice issue of the marginalization and displacement of Black teachers, highlighting the complex interplay between legal reforms and their social impact.       Brown vs. Board of Educ...