Durham-based nonprofit builds community space for educators of color
To kick-off November, the nonprofit organization we are (working to extend anti-racist education) held their Educators of Color Caucus. Durham educators gathered at the W.G. Pearson Center for a night of community building and heard from several speakers regarding district initiatives and goals.
At the opening of the event, we are’s cofounder and truth teller (deputy director) Dr. Kelvin Bullock shared that their goal is to support, highlight, and celebrate educators of color in Durham Public Schools (DPS).
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Nurturing the next generation of educators
Kimberly Hager is the senior executive director of human resources with DPS. At the caucus, she emphasized everyone’s role in recruitment.
“When I look around this room and see each one of you, I think about who we can bring with us along the way,” she said.
As an example, Hager shared about an experience she had at a recent homecoming event. There, she connected with students, introducing them to opportunities to work for DPS.
Hager believes that whether it’s family, friends, or students, the recruitment can happen much earlier by positively speaking to students surrounding teaching throughout their entire K-12 journey.
“We have to build our next generation of teachers,” Hager stated and further encouraged the audience to “nurture a teacher along the way.”
Affinity spaces for staff and students
As the dual language and global language coordinator for DPS, Victor Hiraldo understands the significance of intentionality in recruitment and representation. At the caucus, he stated that a part of his “why” is wanting to be a voice for those Latino families and students who don’t have a voice.
Hiraldo named Dr. Jose Cardoza, Sonia Marquez, and Pablo Friedmann as being among the many advocates for creating a safe and supportive community for Latinx staff, particularly within the past six years.
Somos DPS Latinx, founded by Marquez and Cardoza in Nov. 2018, is one of the district’s initiatives aimed at embracing Latinx identity and culture.
“One of my passions was to know that we can create something bigger than us,” Hiraldo expressed.
Dr. Iwinosa Idahor, DPS executive director of equity affairs and program evaluation, was present to share more about equity and inclusion initiatives in the district.
She mentioned “We Are Queens” and “We Are Kings” as two programs that work to empower girls of color and boys of color, respectively.
According to their website, through monthly meetings, celebrations, and parent engagement, students of color are supported in areas such as identity development, civic engagement, and cultural affirmation. Notably, she stated that the programs are implemented at 30 schools across elementary, middle, and high.
Speaking about the caucus as another affinity space, Idahor considers initiatives like these as “an opportunity for Durham to pave the way and to serve as a model for what it looks like to care for, to value, and to respect the voices and experiences of our educators of color.”
For we are’s cofounder and lead curator (executive director) Dr. Ronda Bullock, having space for educators of color to be in each other’s company and share stories is a necessity. She expressed that the caucus was “another step in the pathway of the journey of building Black and Brown solidarity.”
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Upcoming opportunities with we are
Overall, we are “provides anti-racism training for children, families, and educators.” The Educators of Color Caucus is just one of several programs and events that we are hosts each year.
For instance, we are offers a summer camp for students grades one through five. According to their website, students have the opportunity to learn about race, racism, its impact on communities, and how to actively resist racism in our communities.
Applications are scheduled to be available February 2025. Click here for more information.
The application period for we are’s Protecting Educator-Activists of Color Through Engagement (P.E.A.C.E.) Fellowship is open until December 6th.
Additionally, on March 22, 2025, we are will be hosting their ninth annual Let’s Talk Racism Conference. Held at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University in Greensboro, the event will gather educators, parents, students, and other stakeholders to discuss dismantling systemic racism in our schools.
The conference will feature presentations aligned with the theme, “Making Space for Today’s Voices: The Student Movement.” Importantly, we are encourages presentations led by students or co-presented by students and their teachers.
Proposal submissions for the conference are due by Nov. 22 at 11:59 p.m.
For more information, visit https://www.weare-nc.org/lets-talk-racism-conference