Gwendolyn Brooks, in her poem “Paul Robeson,” reminds us that “we are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond.” This is an ethos I subscribe to and it is because of this that finding the million ways to be in community with others, learning, sharing stories, asking questions & transforming has become central to my purpose. I see every person as an extension of myself and, thus, feel inextricably bound to their oppression & their freedom. I understand myself as a “transformational character” (Prentis Hemphill) in times that call on us all to create a vision for a new world. I believe my work is to stand on the edge of things and lovingly invite others to leap.

Ten years ago, when I was a young classroom teacher in a public school in the South Bronx, I attended New Leaders’ Training and returned to facilitate my first SEED circle. The experience helped me uncover a path that felt authentic, that felt it had been waiting to be discovered and cleared. Holding space for folx to tell their stories, take risks, be vulnerable and rigorously interrogate their role in the systems that keep us separated, competitive and scared came naturally to me. I suppose it’s this kind of discovery space that drew me to teaching in the first place. 

Since then, I have carried SEED values and facilitation techniques into the many schools I’ve worked in, as well as my interest in all kinds of different community work that bridges the gaps between things (for example, I’m a certified full-spectrum birth doula!). Today, I serve as an Assistant Principal of a public elementary school (PreK-5) in Brooklyn, NY. A lot of the work we do there is conspiring to deliver on the promise of integration set forth by Brown v BOE. To support this goal, I have co-facilitated several staff SEED circles, Community SEED circles with families and have supported the growth of our leadership team.

People are complicated. We are all in the water but we can’t all see it. Relationships matter. Storytelling saves lives. Change is slow but constant and faith is required to usher in the new world. I am so honored to join SEED Staff after a decade of putting the work into practice. SEED transformed my entire life and has helped me embody my purpose and I am thrilled to be a part of the many journeys of transformation & impact beginning this summer.