The Social-Emotional Learning Hub For Black People
Get to Know Us.
Black SEL uplifts and cultivates to transform Black communities.
We acknowledge decades of community and ancestral wisdom to transform black communities and schools to provide dignity and equity inside these institutions.
After six years of SEL training, forums, workshops, and constructive discourse with teachers, parents, and students- Dangers Of The Mind and thought leaders in education came together to create Black SEL- the social-emotional learning HUB, for black people.
The HUB aims to highlight the voices of Black SEL practitioners and expand SEL from the classroom to the community, sharing resources to further the field and sustain social-emotional learning practices in Black communities.
What is Black SEL?
Black SEL is SEL that is infused with a cultural lens that speaks to the lived experiences and needs of Black students and communities. Black SEL acknowledges that Black students face a unique set of challenges related to racism, prejudice, and marginalization. Given the ongoing racial trauma and stress many Black students experience, these challenges can negatively impact their academic performance and overall social-emotional health.
Our mission
To reach, teach and build a system of strong black leaders that understand the importance of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and ways to expose and sustain SEL in black communities.
Our essence
We aim to highlight and elevate the educators and the voices of African American people in the social-emotional field.
Our promise
We create healthy dialogue around policy, critical race theory, and strategies to introduce and enhance social-emotional learning for surrounding communities and its key stakeholders.
Our vibe
At Black SEL, we believe Social- Emotional Learning will not be a trend in black communities, but a sustainable practice to advance and heal people of color, one community at a time.
Our Research
Over a two-year period, Dangers of the Mind connected with over 916 Black and Brown students through a survey, 600 parents, 75 teachers, and 4 superintendents to understand needs in their communities.
We heard an overwhelming need for shared resources and community to build a school culture that affirms Black and other marginalized students.
Through this research, we learned about how students would like to be engaged and the types of resources that leaders inside school buildings need to better support marginalized students. Based on this insight, Dangers of the Mind Education Fund launched Black SEL.
The Black experience in the United States in the western world is based on historical and systemic racism from slavery, colonization, and Jim crow AND one of reSELience from building social movements, cooperative economic structures, and culture that prioritizes and heals Black people.
Black SEL is about acknowledging the ways that SEL competencies have been present in black communities long before the designation or study of social-emotional learning.
Why Black SEL Matters
Black SEL was launched to intervene in systems disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline through providing needed skills and resources for school communities.
The current education system is dominated by political narratives that devalue the very people that our schools are supposed to serve. Students, teachers, administrators, and staff are left underpaid and under-supported while scapegoated for the systemic problems facing these institutions.
More specifically this manifests in students, disproportionately Black and other marginalized identities, being suspended and over disciplined. Teachers face the hardship of burn out and are left without effective tools to manage classrooms. Administrators are forced to defend curriculum choices or mask policies while navigating the public pressure of critical race dialogue or mandates that do not prioritize the people in their building.
Meet the team
Our Advisory Board come from a variety of professional backgrounds.
We establish strategic partnerships to enhance the visibility and implementation of Social-emotional learning to black and brown communities.
Dr. James Comer. MD, MPH
Professor
Yale University Child Study Center & Honorary Member of BlackSEL.org
Minnie Forte-Brown
Chief Executive Officer
Forte-Brown Consulting
Dr. Ralph Simpson
Deputy Superientent
Clayton County Public School District
Dr. Bettie Ray Butler, PhD
Director
M.ED Urban Education Program
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Bryan Perlmutter
Founding Partner
Piece By Piece Strategies
Joshua Vincent
Executive Director
Southern Vision Alliance
Kristen Hopkins
CEO & Founder
Dangers of the Mind Education Fund
Creator | Black SEL
Get in touch with us
We look forward to connecting with you! We understand that it is important for you to access our services, we will respond to your message between 24-48 hrs.