You Never Made Me Feel Black-An Open Letter to my Teachers, Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Collins-Gregory

Dear Joy Hughes and Carrie Collins-Gregory,

I would like to thank you ladies for never making me feel black. I am so proud to be black, but you never turned my blackness into a deficit. The white teachers that I had after you made me feel really strange because you two ladies never gave me the feeling that I was inadequate because of my skin color like some of them did. Besides my mom and dad, my world revolved around you two because you turned me into a reader and that really boosted my self-confidence. With you ladies on my side, I always knew that I could do anything!

I just want to tell you Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Collins-Gregory that your life really matters to me and always will because my life mattered to you at an impressionable time in my life. I was a shy girl that was used to home, mom and dad, and Mrs. Deloris my babysitter, but I wasn't used to being in the care of white ladies. Even though you were white, you never made me wish I was white, and you never made me feel like I had to be white to be smart or for you to teach me. Mrs. Hughes, your attentive care and thorough instruction set me up for success with a solid foundation for learning in Kindergarten, and Mrs. Collins-Gregory, your nurturing and methodical instruction pushed me forward and made me feel smart in First Grade. I was at the top of my reading game in your classes! I was excited to go to school because you two always seemed to be really proud of me.

I will never, ever forget you two ladies. It is because of you that I am the life-long learner that I am today. You two ladies are proof that it is possible to be a white teacher and to see children as children and teach them to love themselves and to love learning and I am the proof that being loved, cared for, and being seen as a learner can plant a seed in a child that will produce beautiful flowers that bring color to the world. My hope is that other brown children like me can end up in the hands of teachers like you. I also believe that the teachers who are reading this letter will empower themselves with knowledge to make a lifelong impact on their students just like you have.

Love,

Kisha Woodfork

Aspiring Doctor

Dear Teacher, what impact have you made? What are you going to do about it?