Note from the CEO, Joshua I. Umahi: As Black History Month comes to a close, with today being the final day of the event in 2025, I can't say enough about the impact that THIS year's Black History Month had on me, personally.
With the political landscape being where it is now, with "DEI" and the term "woke" now being weaponized on a large scale against Black and brown people, it was even more imperative for me to remember & meditate on the sacrifices that the legendary Black leaders before our time performed to allow Black people today to even be able to dream of equality in all forms.
Our campaign, Celebrating Black Creatives -- aimed to honor the great Black history of the past by celebrating the Black artists, entrepreneurs, and educators of today.
The Recess Bell's Gina has done great work in interviewing the creatives we've platformed this month, and she presents a special treat today: Professor Neisha Terry Young, who currently teaches English at Stony Brook University & has been in education for nearly 20 years.
Gina & Professor Young discussed the professor's entry into educating, her Jamaican heritage, and why she takes her identity as a Black immigrant woman & leader very, very seriously. Let's meet Professor Young!
Note from Gina: Before we continue, let me just say that it was an honor and pleasure to sit down with Professor Young. I took her Positioning Black Identity class, and her approach to education has ALREADY made a long-lasting effect on my educational career as well as my life!
Hi, Professor!
Gina: Can you share with us the story behind your journey into academia and what inspired you to pursue your field?
Professor Young: Many paths converged on my journey into academia. I started my career as a high school English teacher in 2005, and I knew that eventually I would pursue graduate studies. That was always my goal. However, after I migrated to the United States and began teaching in public K-12 schools, I realized how deficit-based narratives about immigrant youth identities and capabilities influenced their academic experiences and trajectories.
This realization motivated me to pursue a PhD because I wanted to be in a position where I could utilize research and advocacy to create spaces for immigrant youth to author their authentic immigrant narratives.
Gina: How has your experience as a Jamaican Native influenced your perspective inside and outside the classroom?
Professor Young: Being a Black immigrant woman from Jamaica is an integral part of my identity, and it influences how I view the world. Critical pedagogies aver that education is not neutral and that the overarching goal of education is liberation. The Jamaican education system is grounded in critical pedagogies. The ideals of critical pedagogies shaped my educational experiences in the Jamaican education system. From a very young age, students in Jamaica are empowered to name colonialism and counter it through a robust upliftment of cultural identity.
My experiences as a student and teacher in Jamaica instilled in me a passion for critical pedagogies, and I brought this passion with me when I entered the US classroom. My research outside of the classroom is also fully grounded in critical pedagogy.
Gina: In what ways do your academic publications intersect with your passion for social change and advocacy?
Professor Young: My publications grow out of my research, so they reflect my passion for social justice and advocacy. For example, my very first publication examined the pendular pattern in implementing diversity provisions in the Elementary and Secondary Schools Act (ESSA) over time. My publications also demonstrate my interest in the affordances of digital literacy tools and platforms in supporting and amplifying the authentic narratives of immigrant youth.
For instance, I have publications examining topics such as the value of podcasting in the English Language Arts classroom and the affordances of multiliteracies for Black immigrant youth. I also have some upcoming work focused on explicating the importance of reflexivity in our navigation of our intersectional identities and dominant discourses.
Presenting Prof. Young's 'VocalizED Identity Crafting and Exploration' (VOICE) lab at Stony Brook university, which, among other things, supports immigrants & marginalized communities in discovering themselves further. Tap the image for more!
Gina: You are strongly passionate about amplifying Black voices, specifically Black immigrant voices. What does this mission mean to you on both a personal and professional level?
Professor Young: I am a Black immigrant woman. Since moving to the US, I have experienced how my racial-ethnic identity has influenced my process of becoming…becoming Black…becoming immigrant…becoming other.
The literature tells us that Black immigrant identities and experiences are largely invisible within dominant discourses in the US. This means that our stories often go unheard. When our stories are recognized, our narratives are often pinioned by the ‘single story’ of which Adichie speaks. I lived that invisibility, and I have lived the single story. I have also seen Black immigrant youth and adults who walk adjacent paths of invisibility and essentialization.
One of the most impactful 'TED Talks' of all-time: Adichie's "The Dangers of a Single Story."
There is, therefore, an urgent need to lift the veil of invisibility and to make room for hybridity among Black immigrant narratives. I feel this urgency personally and professionally.
Gina: What advice would you give to young scholars and activists who are passionate about amplifying marginalized voices?
Professor Young: I would tell them to find the goal or the cause that lights the fire within their souls and work to make it happen. We live in a time when it feels risky to do this work. We live in a time when we might hear others tell us that it is not necessary or desirable to do this work. We also live in a time where it is absolutely vital to do this work.
Amplifying voices is an act of liberation, and the time for liberation is now. We live in the “firece urgency of now” of which Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke. I would encourage scholars and activists who are passionate about amplifying marginalized voices to move ahead with boldness, and whatever their hands find to do, do it with all their might.
“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there "is" such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.” - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Gina: What does Black History Month and being Black mean to you?
Professor Young: I am proud to be Black. I am proud of the rich history that comes with being a member of the Black diaspora, and I am proud of the strong thread of connection and community that binds my past, my present, and my future.
I stand tall and hold my head high in honor of the kings and queens, the chiefs and tribal leaders from whom I have descended.
I stand tall and hold my head high in honor of my parents and aunties and uncles whose sacrifice got me to where I am today as a Black woman.
I stand tall and hold my head high in honor of the little Black boys and girls whose lives I will help to influence as we prepare them to face tomorrow with boldness.
This is what being Black means to me, and Black History Month is an opportunity for me to revel in that connection and pride. Black History Month is also an opportunity to re-story history as we elevate the narratives that have been silenced.
Comments