What Reporting on Black Teachers Taught Me About Resilience

When I began reporting on the mental health of Black teachers in Mississippi, it was amid the wave of policy changes being implemented by President Trump’s administration—changes that not only impacted education as a whole but deepened the existing disparities for minority students in low-income areas.

Mississippi’s average teacher turnover rate is 23.3% per year, more than double the national average of 10-11%.

Growing up in a Southern state, I understood that statistic's weight. I knew just how important it was to cover a population of often overlooked educators, despite their emotional sacrifices while working to build the leaders of tomorrow.

---

As a nonprofit journalism organization, we depend on your support to fund more than 170 reporting projects every year on critical global and local issues. Donate any amount today to become a Pulitzer Center Champion and receive exclusive benefits!

---

Black teachers are hidden gems and the key to success regarding Black excellence in education. A study titled “Who Believes in Me? The Effect of Student-Teacher Demographic Match on Teacher Expectations” found that Black teachers hold significantly higher expectations for Black students than their white counterparts.

Following the lives of Erica Jones, Montrell Allen, and an anonymous source gave me a front-row seat to the daily struggles these educators face, like paying students’ bills, covering the cost of meals, and constantly advocating for additional funding from school districts.

Hearing their stories gave me a deeper appreciation for the education system and a more precise understanding that while many teachers go above and beyond, much more work still needs to be done.