“We Will Just Have to Take It Underground”: A Black Studies Approach to Teacher Education and Critical Professional Development

In the context of contemporary attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and curricula that critically interrogate race and power, as well as the Eurocentric nature of traditional teacher education, out-of-school spaces for the critical development of teachers seeking to bring Black studies into their classrooms are necessary. Informed by the historical approaches of Black educators, the authors of this essay partnered with high school and university educators of color to engage in a collaborative process of teacher education, professional development, and curriculum design. The collaboration highlights the importance of curriculum codesign as a teaching method for developing educators’ content and pedagogical knowledge.