Daily Inspiration: Meet Dr. Ronda Taylor Bullock

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Ronda Taylor Bullock.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started? 
I began the initial brainstorming for WE ARE in the spring of 2015. Multiple events had transpired that increased my pursuit for racial justice. George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman, followed and murdered Trayvon Martin, an African American teenager, as he walked to his home carrying an Arizona Tea and a pack of Skittles. George Zimmerman was later acquitted of killing Trayvon Martin. Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi formed the Black Lives Matter movement in response to the tragic injustice. And many in the country were still shocked and angry over the death of Michael Brown at the hands of Officer Darren Wilson. In addition to these key historical events, it seemed as if every week another Black life was being taken at the hands of state sanctioned violence. 

In addition to this, I started thinking about my own children and what their experiences would be as Black kids growing up in America. I had just left Hillside High School in the fall of 2014, after teaching for almost ten years, and entered a doctoral program. I had a three-year-old son and a three-month-old daughter at the time. What kind of world was I bringing them into, I remember thinking. I wanted to make the world better for them and for other kids, as well. So, in the spring of 2015, an amalgamation of racist life experiences coupled with a passion for racial justice and the current racialized climate in our country, I felt a calling to do more, to take my anti-racist efforts to another level. I needed to do anti-racism work both at the interpersonal and systemic level; thus, WE ARE was conceptualized. WE ARE stands for working to extend anti-racist education. We provide anti-racism training for children, families, and educators. We work to dismantle systemic racism in education and beyond by offering summer camps for kids in rising first through fifth grade, professional development for educators, and workshops for parents and families. 

I shared my ideas with my husband, Dr. Daniel Kelvin Bullock, who is a co-founder. I also reached out to several people who I knew had an anti-racism framework. Some were doctoral students with me in the school of education, and others were people who shared a passion to be disruptive. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Any time an organization works to challenge white supremacy, there will be backlash. Starting WE ARE came with the normal challenges of creating a non-profit. We needed to raise funds, we needed people to work and plan, and we needed time. These were normal challenges. 

At this point, however, the political climate has shifted to one where politicians are launching campaigns against truth-telling, teaching African American history, and critical race theory (CRT). This is a local and national issue. We face more challenges today than when we initially started because there are political leaders who are passing policies to prevent schools from working with organizations like mine, which uses a CRT framework. Bills are being implemented to ban truth-telling and knowledge. Many educational leaders are now afraid to contract with us or to send their employees to our workshops. This limits not only our impact but also our ability to generate revenue. 

Regardless of the political climate, truth-telling is always the right thing to do, and because we’re committed to doing this work for the long haul, we will not be deterred. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
WE ARE, which stands for working to extend anti-racist education, uses a three-pronged approach to dismantle systemic racism in education by offering anti-racism summer camps for kids in rising 1st-5th grade, professional development for educators, and workshops for parents & families. 

One thing that sets our work apart is our emphasis on creating learning opportunities that build the racial consciousness of children. Each summer, we host 4 anti-racism summer camps for kids in rising 1st-5th grade. We use a literacy-based approach during the 5-day camps. Our team chooses books that help children talk about skin color, racism, anti-racism and activism in an age-appropriate way. Every child receives a copy of the books we use. The goals of the camps are to: Foster healthy racial identities, build a historical understanding of race and racism, and Equip families with tools and resources which extend anti-racist practices in the home and community. 

Our work is also set apart from others because we use a critical race theory framework, with an emphasis on critical whiteness. We keep race as a central focus point, we center the voices and experiences of marginalized communities while decentering whiteness, and we keep a social justice emphasis in all of the work we lead.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I never imagined I would be where I am today, a Black woman with a doctorate in education leading an organization I helped to start. I am from a small rural town in Chatham County, North Carolina, called Goldston. I did not grow up seeing Black women as doctors nor as non-profit leaders. But what I did have was an amazing community and family that poured into me and other children in our area. From playing sports to participating in summer programs at my local elementary school, many of us were surrounded by adults, particularly Black leaders, who served as mentors and caregivers. It truly takes a village to raise a child, and I’m so thankful for everyone who was a part of mine because I am only where I am today because of their love and support. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.weare-nc.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weare_org/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weare.nc.org
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/weare_org
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@weare-mh4ve

Image Credits
Mario Browne
Cecile Jordan