United in Grief

Teachers of Color Engaging in Love, Humanization, and Radical Joy

Abstract

During the COVID-19 global pandemic, many teachers, especially Teachers of Color, have had to navigate a disproportionate amount of grief with little to no institutional support. This reinforced the importance of developing spaces within schools where teachers and students can learn how to metabolize their grief—to better understand it, recognize it, and listen to how their bodies respond to it. In this article, I share how a group of ninth-grade Teachers of Color participated in interdisciplinary teaching to create a collective space for grief with their. Utilizing the Filipino cultural practice of talk story, called kuwentuhan, they shared reflections on their experience. Findings highlight love and radical joy as humanizing elements stemming from their collective grief, as well as suggest that grief, love, and radical joy are aspects of wellness that should be acknowledged and nourished to allow for Teachers of Color to sustain their wellness alongside their students.