The State of Black Learning (SBL) Leadership Cohort is a transformative extension of SBL’s core commitments to Black student learning, culturally relevant pedagogy, and community-focused initiatives such as the SBL conference, which focuses on educational challenges and solutions specific to Black students.

Building on the conference’s success, we launched a fellowship to provide educators and school leaders with more targeted, in-depth, black-student-centered support. The new SBL Leadership Cohort aims to cultivate a specialized community of practice among educators, merging racial consciousness with the urgency of equity in education. This focus is particularly relevant given our nation’s rise in hostility surrounding race and diversity.

Although SBL has consistently advocated for educational excellence, this new initiative delves deeper into the intersectionality of race and education. Over the next 8 months, we aim to nurture a proactive, empowered community of educators equipped to design and launch innovative programs, access a curated network of like-minded educators, and ensure they remain responsive to the changing needs of Black students, families, and communities.