The pioneering historian, educator, and journalist Carter G. Woodson, who gave us what eventually became Black History Month, held an overarching philosophy: education was inseparable from freedom. That philosophy and legacy sit at the heart of this year’s Black Teacher Appreciation Day.
On Thursday, May 7, the Center for Black Educator Development announced that this year’s Black Teacher Appreciation Day, which falls today during Teacher Appreciation Week, centers on Woodson’s legacy, as 2026 also marks the 100th anniversary of Black History Month. This year’s theme is “Black Resistance and Joy: Celebrating Black Educators and Teaching as a Practice of Freedom.”
“As we mark the 100th anniversary of Black History Month, we must also honor the legacy of Carter G. Woodson and every Black educator who has carried forward that tradition of teaching as freedom,” Micia Mosely, Ph.D., founder and executive director of the Black Teacher Project, said in a statement. “Black educators don’t just teach — they lead the reimagination of education by promoting belonging and creating more inclusive and supportive learning environments.”
This year’s celebration is also about uplifting the critical impact of Black teachers, who remain underrepresented in classrooms nationwide, particularly at a profoundly urgent time when Black history, Critical Race Theory, DEI initiatives, and the autonomy of Black students in the classroom are increasingly under threat. Despite research showing that Black students who have had at least one Black teacher are 38% more likely to feel a genuine sense of belonging in school, recent data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that while 79% of U.S. public school teachers identified as non-Hispanic white, roughly 7% are Black. Meanwhile, Black students make up roughly 15% of the student population.
“Teacher Appreciation Week and Black Teacher Appreciation Day are about more than celebrating the impact of Black educators — they are about taking action to secure the future of the profession,” said Sharif El-Mekki.
While the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education unanimously declared state-sponsored segregation of children in public schools unconstitutional and resulted in the desegregation of U.S. public schools, it resulted in the loss of thousands of Black educators. The National Education Association estimates that more than 100,000 Black teachers and school leaders lost their jobs as Black schools were closed and the newly integrated schools refused to hire them. Experts say it set a precedent that continues to create barriers for the Black teacher career path to this day.
Black Teacher Appreciation Day is a pivotal component of CBED’s broader “We Need Black Teachers” campaign. Launched in 2021, the initiative uplifts Black educators as mentors, leaders, and culture bearers while also calling on institutions to invest more deeply in them.
The organization also announced the 2026 Diverse Teacher Pipeline grant, a $100,000 grant for groups working to launch diverse teacher pipelines in their local communities.
“Through the We Need Black Teachers campaign, we are elevating the urgent need for real investment in Black educators, not just recognition,” El-Mekki continued. “Diversifying and sustaining the teaching workforce is a proven strategy that makes schools stronger and improves outcomes for every student.”
The day is also about recognizing that Black teachers, who often serve as surrogate members of their students’ villages, balance being educators, therapists, family counselors, and cheerleaders amid their own very real lives outside the classroom, all while being chronically underresourced and underserved themselves.
Mimi Woldeyohannes, managing director of external affairs at the CBED, told TheGrio over email how this day is ultimately a way for the community to come together and celebrate the “transformative impact Black educators have had, and continue to have, on classrooms across the globe.”
“With this year’s theme, ‘Black Resistance and Joy: Celebrating Black Educators and Teaching as a Practice of Freedom,’ as the backdrop of our initiative, we’re encouraging everyone to not only celebrate the daily commitment of our Black teachers, but also the legacy they carry with them,” she continued. “From Carter G. Woodson to today’s classroom leaders, Black educators have always understood that teaching is an act of freedom, resistance, and deep, enduring joy.”
The day, like the larger week it falls within, is also a firm reminder, before the school year officially wraps up, that teachers are people tasked with the extraordinary.
“Black teachers deserve rest, joy, and connection,” Dr. Wenimo Okoya, founder and executive director of Healing Schools Project, said in a release.
