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The Story Collider

Navigating Whiteness: Stories from Black educators

The Story Collider

Story Collider, Inc.

Arts, Science, Society & Culture, Personal Journals, Performing Arts

4.4824 Ratings

🗓️ 26 June 2020

⏱️ 30 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week we present two stories from Black people who were dealing with the ramifications of our racist systems.

Part 1: As a science teacher, Mamoudou N'Diaye was supposed to have all the answers, but he struggles to explain being Black in the USA.

Part 2: Rhonda Key fights to be taken seriously by her white co-workers and students when she gets a job at a middle school.

Mamoudou N'Diaye is a Mauritanian American comic, writer, filmmaker, activist, DJ, and former teacher. N'Diaye has been a correspondent for digital media companies Mic and Seeker, a creative comedy consultant for social justice nonprofits Color of Change, Hip Hop Caucus, The Center for Cultural Power, and The Center for Media and Social Impact, and a winner of 2019's Yes And Laughter Lab for his pilot, Franklin. He has written and appeared in the Comedy Central Original They Follow, written for Refinery29's After After Party, and is in post-production for the webseries Bodegaverse with Karen Sepulveda. N'Diaye is developing By Us, For Us, a late-night sketch/talk show centering Black voices, for Color for Change and Flyovers, a half-hour dramedy about being Black in the rural Midwest. N’Diaye holds a degree in cognitive behavioral neuroscience from the College of Wooster.

Rhonda M. Key has served as a teacher and administrator in suburban, rural, and urban school districts throughout her career. Currently, she serves as Assistant Superintendent of Jennings School District. Under her purview as the former Principal/Director of Secondary Education-Community Partnerships, Jennings Senior High School achieved 100% graduation and job placements for the past three years. In 2014, Dr. Key was named one of Five Women to Make a Difference in the Decatur/Macon County area of Illinois. In March 2019 she was named Principal of the Year by the St. Louis Association of Secondary School Principals. Dr. Key is also the co-owner and founder of Key/Ming Educational Design LLC, educational consultant and co-author of articles regarding Urban Education. Dr. Key earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Lincoln University, and she completed her educational specialist and doctorate from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

A science story, huh?

0:04.0

Is NYU a scientist?

0:06.0

I felt it.

0:07.0

I was so powerful.

0:09.0

And I just thought, well.

0:10.0

It was that golden moment.

0:12.0

Because science was on my side.

0:15.0

Well, all, welcome to the Story Collider, where we bring you true personal stories about science.

0:30.4

I am your host, Erin Barker, and this week we're presenting stories about navigating whiteness

0:35.5

in science education. These are both really powerful, relevant stories from black science educators about how they find

0:42.3

their footing and environments dominated by whiteness.

0:45.3

I'm really pleased to share them with you today.

0:47.3

Our first story is from Mamadu Najay.

0:50.3

It was recorded in May 2019 at Caviot in New York City. The theme that night was, older and wiser.

0:57.0

Hi.

1:05.0

Hey, what's up?

1:07.0

I have the answers to everything, so just don't ask questions. I'll get to all of them tonight.

1:13.6

I'll explain it. So I was raised mostly in Ohio, and I, did I hear a woo? That's weird.

1:20.6

All right, Ohio gang, we'll talk after this.

1:24.6

No, but I was raised in Worcester, Ohio.

1:28.3

And as you can see, I'm a black African,

1:31.0

a Muslim person.

...

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