From “Dropout to Doctorate: Breaking the Chains of Educational Injustice” By Terrence Lester, PhD
My mother worked part-time as a custodian in the evenings and on the weekends, cleaning buildings outside her regular job as a cafeteria manager in schools, all while striving to continue her education at a time when online classes weren’t an option. She juggled taking me to her second job and her own classes. All this while managing a household with two children on a salary of less than $18,000 a year, sometimes without the convenience of a car. She eventually went back to school to complete two master’s degrees and, later in life, an educational doctorate in clinical counseling. She always showed an inner strength, a resilience in Black women that often stems from a history of overcoming myriad injustices.
Watching my mother and grandmother Gloria, I believe this inner strength comes from a deep sense of community, their faith in God, and an unwavering belief in their own worth despite the history of hardships our ancestors faced. Black women have often had to display this level of courage and resilience while, in many ways, their strength and dignity have not always been affirmed. It saddens me that Black women still find themselves in the present moment having to remain resilient, fight for their worth, and demand to be heard and acknowledged. This is especially disheartening when they have given so much of themselves and carried generations with their unparalleled strength.