I am because we are: (Re)membering Ubuntu in the pedagogy of Black women teachers from Africa to America and back again

Abstract

ABSTRACT Given the clarion call for culturally relevant and sustaining practices, it is often assumed that Black women have a deep well of knowledge about Black history and culture to draw from. However, given that today’s Black teachers were mostly educated post-integration, they were rarely afforded accurate representations and cultural knowledge of Black histories, heritages, and contributions in the US and the world. This education also did not include understanding their historical and spiritual connection to African people on the continent and throughout its diaspora. Given these historical and cultural omissions in their teacher education, we explore the question: What can be learned about Black women’s pedagogical practices when we begin instead in Africa? Using the concept of Ubuntu, we explore what this shift in standpoint provides that is integral in commitments to (re)membering Africa in teacher education and the professional development for Black women teachers.