Building Cultural Bridges

My Mission to Reach African-American Students

By Jamie Myrick, middle school teacher, Richmond, California

When I was in school, everyone in my Fresno, California, community attended segregated schools. The textbook we learned to read from was about Dick and Jane in their little white house.

I was an avid reader, because I had asthma, and I spent many hours in the school library. The only story book with a Black character in it was "Little Black Sambo." My aunt and uncle were among the few Black educators during that time. What I noticed after the ATA-NEA merger, however, is that the few Black educators in our schools dwindled down to almost none.

Today, as an educator in a primarily Black urban town, Richmond, California, it is still hard to find Black educators on campus. My experience as a student and now as teacher, has given me a mission to reach as many African-American students as I can. In addition to working as a classroom teacher, I am a professional storyteller and I specialize in introducing students to African-American culture through stories and song. I also teach other teachers how to use storytelling as a teaching tool so they can begin to build a cultural bridge for students.

About the Author
Jamie Myrick works in the West Contra Costa Unified School District in Richmond, California. She has been at Adams Middle School for seven years. Prior to that she worked as a theater teacher at DeAnza High School and at Kennedy High School where she taught social studies and English.