I listened to Black Teacher on audio, It was a vibrantly animated, powerful reflection on her experiences as a black woman teaching in schools during a turbulent time in UK human rights & politics. To understand the bigger picture of Gilroys’ experiences, I turned to the history books (online articles) for more background on what black people were going through at that time. The mid 60’s bought forth the Race Relation Act, “the first legislation to address discrimination in the UK… only in certain specified public spaces” Followed by the 1975 Sex Discrimination which “made sex discrimination illegal in the areas of employment, education and the provision of goods, facilities and services.” This truly revealing memoir uncovers themes of racism, discrimination, prejudice and bias and how she pushes through to fight for social change, equity and justice in education. Very inspiring to say the least! Also, quite concerning that some of these issues around racism and discrimination are still very prevalent in society today.

“’My mum says I ain’t to sit on anywhere after you, ‘cos you’re dirty underneath!’

‘Yeh? Well, my mum says your mum ain’t been up the Baths for five weeks. She don’t know ‘ow your dad can stand it.’ Lately there had been a lull on this particular front.

I was half hoping that Mrs Benn would say that parents now appreciated the quality of my teaching. I should have known better…

Another difficult child to deal with was Christopher, who Sister said was a ‘little bit on the hard of hearing side. I was later to discover that he was very deaf, with only minimal hear ing in his left ear. But when she said, ‘You have an enabling way with children,’ I was happy to try to help Christopher.

The morning he joined my class he stood by the door and poured out his feelings in the nasal mumbling of the deaf Nothing I did could console him. He shrank away from my hands as if they were tainted. I was at my wits end, and in a moment of anger at my inability to cope I turned to the das and said, ‘He didn’t ask God to make him deaf, you know: He was born that way. You must all help me to help him.’ At once the children began to talk of deaf people they knew and we listed the qualities we needed to help the deaf.

‘Patience,’ said Judy. ‘We mustn’t mind when they make us feel mad.’

‘We got to learn signs,’ said Danny, so that we can al understand what they want and they can understand us’

‘Yes and we ‘ave to be kind to ’em.”

Chapter 6: Keep your hands off me

Despite the sheer disrespect and absurd racist notions Gilroy, understood that in order to break down the walls of misconception and discrimination that she needed to use her positionality to challenge the minds of her students, eventually their parents and her colleagues. She brought the kind of love and compassion that is infectious and transformational to anyone she encountered. Her legacy has inspired me to lead with love even in difficult circumstances. We spoke about the importance of teaching from a place of love in a few of the seminars and as much as it’s obvious that love is the key, we must also dismantle some of our biases that tell us to be compassionate to some people and not all.

“The classroom remains the most radical space of possibility in the academy… Urging all of us to open our minds and hearts so that we can know beyond boundaries of what is acceptable, so that we can create new visions, I celebrate teaching that enables transgressions — a movement against and beyond boundaries. It is that movement which makes education the practice of freedom.” bell hooks. (1994). Teaching to Trangress: Education as the Practice of Freedom.

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• https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/what-are-human-rights/history-human-rights-britain