TSS Blog

Inside Equity: Tennessee Educators of Color Alliance

Dr. Diarese George, Executive Director & Founder of TECA

What is your organization’s mission, and how does it support Tennessee’s kids?

The Tennessee Educators of Color Alliance’s vision is to connect, develop, and support educators of color with decision-making power who shape, create, and influence education policy, especially those that champion teacher diversity (recruitment and retention). In order to do so, TECA is committed to elevating the voices and increasing the presence and support of educators of color while remaining student-centered and solutions oriented. Ultimately all students benefit from teachers of color, as exposure to individuals with different lived experiences can reduce stereotypes, prevent unconscious bias, and prepare students to succeed in a globally diverse society.

What desired impact does your organization have for its community? How does that impact influence your organization’s goals? 

Ultimately, we want to position educators of color as leaders advocating for systemic change for our most vulnerable children, while committing to remain in the profession. We’ve been able to achieve impact through the years by hosting convenings bringing hundreds of educators of color and allies together to receive professional learning, hosting professional development opportunities, providing racial, equity, and inclusion consulting, creating a policy report detailing how to support educators of color, and, more recently, launching a leadership development program for teachers of color to train them as policy advocates addressing systemic inequities in their local school buildings and neighboring communities. As we continue to scale our reach and impact across the state, we realize that this work is important and necessary to achieve educational equity and justice.

How can those interested get involved in the work you’re doing?

There are three ways to get involved and support:

1.We encourage people to sign up for free membership on our website.

2. You can donate on our website to support our efforts; every little bit helps and is appreciated.

3. Contact us at info@tneca.org if you are interested in racial equity consulting and professional development opportunities.

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