Amplifying Some Fantastic News — Project Erdkinder

This afternoon, The Black Montessori Education Fund was launched by Dr. Ayize Sabater. We here at Project Erdkinder think the best way we can raise awareness about this exciting new venture by sharing this post from Nsoroma Montessori Consulting.

““[The Montessori m]ethod fit[s] our yearning…for another [liberatory] approach to educating our [Harlem community Black] children” (Sylvia Townsend, 2019)
Dear Friend,
The Black community continues to be attacked by systemic racism and individuals from police to persons in the highest seats of power in this land. Additionally, the Black community is currently being ravaged on a number of fronts, by long-standing factors: educational dysfunction, police brutality and most recently by COVID19, which has killed Black people twice the rate of Whites on the national level. Now, like never before, we need a visionary vehicle to disrupt the above mentioned assault and advance Black excellence to help weather these storms and present viable interventions.
One possible intervention can be found in Montessori education, if it is culturally responsive and anti-racist. The Montessori method is a proven liberatory educational practice. Montessori education is a unique educational approach that utilizes student-driven learning which affords teachers the opportunity to nurture the needs of the whole child, to reach that child’s fullest potential. Dr. Maria Montessori, over 100 years ago, created this approach which has nurtured the holistic development of children from around the world. Montessori education is grounded in a highly specialized theory of human development (Whitescarver, 2015). Additional research (Lillard et al., 2017) found that public Montessori programs, working with high-poverty preschool children, closed the socioeconomic income gap between children. There have been a number of Black educators (like: Rose Butler Brown, Roslyn Williams, Leonora Gertrude Briggs, etc.) who have been trailblazing within the Montessori arena for decades and who have helped thousands of Black children and families around the USA.
After more than a decade of Montessori educational leadership work, Ayize Sabater is now seizing the time to launch this new Fund to expand the above mentioned work done by Black Montessori educators. The fund’s purpose is to advance justice + equity + diversity + inclusion (known as J.E.D.I by some progressive activists) for Black folk. The BMEF seeks to amplify the voice and bolster the power of Black Montessori educators. To advance these principles, the Black Montessori educational fund, will:
1. provide scholarships for Black students to attend Montessori schools.
2. provide funding for Black Montessori leaders seeking to establish Montessori schools.
3. provide scholarships for Black adults to become J.E.D.I trained Montessori educators (on varying levels: including: teacher; administrator and trainer level).
4. employ Black educational leaders to research, advocate, organize and promote the advancement of Black Montessori education.

You can see the original post by following this link.

We just donated to the fund and encourage you to do the same if this cause resonates with you.