Digital syllabus aims to spark change in Black education

By Fritz Esker
Contributing Writer

Black Education for New Orleans (BE NOLA) recently released its “Black Is Brilliant” digital syllabus, which the organization describes as “a groundbreaking framework poised to ignite positive change in Black education within New Orleans, and a framework to carry on nationwide.”

BE NOLA’s mission is to increase the capacity of Black-led efforts to advance educational progress in New Orleans. The organization has officially existed for eight years, but the conversations to begin the group began about ten years after Hurricane Katrina when the organizers noticed the disparities and unfairness in the local public education system post-Katrina.

“So many Black people thought education reform was happening to them, not with them,” said Stevona Elem-Rogers, chief of community programming and partnership at BE NOLA. “BE NOLA comes on the scene because of this disparity and unfairness.”

The “Black Is Brilliant” syllabus is 43 pages and free for anyone to access and use. It includes key terms, philosophical pillars, deep dives into historic local Black schools, like St. Augustine and St. Mary’s, and more.

“The syllabus is an easy resource to use,” said Elem-Rogers. “We have various study groups going on throughout the city.”

One of the key points of emphasis in the syllabus, according to Elem-Rogers, is setting high expectations with love.

“It’s a beautiful compilation of resources, archival material, and reflection questions to help us understand and reflect upon what Black education means in New Orleans,” Elem-Rogers said.

Kelly said a major influence on this point was The Learning Workshop, an early education center founded by local civil rights icon Oretha Castle Haley in 1980 and located in the 8th Ward. It stayed open until Hurricane Katrina hit the city. When children needed to be disciplined, The Learning Workshop did not isolate children in a negative way. Instead, they sent them to the “power chair” and told the child they needed to get their power back.

“It’s a way to remind a child of their power instead of telling them they don’t deserve to be a part of a group,” said Kelly.

HBCUs also served as an inspiration for the content of the syllabus. HBCUs have thrived for decades by meeting young Black people where they are. BE NOLA hopes their syllabus will encourage educators at all grade levels to do the same.

Early responses from those who have read the syllabus are positive.

“What makes this syllabus so powerful is how accessible it is. It’s complete with videos, discussion guides, and learning prompts that make it easy to either lead or form a study group, learn as a family, or just explore on your own, making this a living, breathing learning tool for our community,” said philanthropy adviser Alexus M. Cumbie.

“I have woven the ‘Black is Brilliant’ Digital Syllabus into my work advising and mentoring doctoral students, and into my consulting practice. The syllabus assists us in remembering what we have been made to forget: the voices and legacies of Black educators, in New Orleans and elsewhere, who understood the education of young minds as more than a job, but a serious calling,” said Dr. David Robinson-Morris, founder of The REImaginelution LLC.

In addition to the syllabus, BE NOLA will also be hosting the Black Is Brilliant Summit from October 2-5 at Xavier University and at the Barnett on Carondelet Street. The summit will feature a variety of speakers and discussion panels, including Edward Buckles, director of the acclaimed documentary “Katrina Babies.”

There will also be a discussion about Katrina’s 20th anniversary and its legacy on the city and its educational system. The summit, in its fifth year, began virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anyone interested in reading the “Black Is Brilliant” syllabus can read it online at www.flipsnack.com/7CCDCDCC5A8/be-nola-black-is-brilliant-digital-syllabus/full-view.html.

This article originally published in the July 14, 2025 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.