Join us for the 2026 #TeachingInColor Summit!
April 25 | Charlotte, North Carolina
Calling all educators of color across North Carolina! Join us again for our fifth annual #TeachingInColor Summit taking place in-person in Charlotte.
Under the theme Sankofa: Looking Back to the Future, we're honoring the legacy of educators of color from the past while harnessing the power of today to envision a bold new vision for tomorrow. The lessons of the past not only sustain us, they guide us.
The 2026 #TeachingInColor Summit includes a culture-rich, jam-packed day. We'll have a selection of panels and breakout sessions to help us boldly show up for our students and ourselves in these times. Our annual Research Symposium and Educators of the Year Awards are also on the agenda.
Be a part of #TeachingInColor Summit!
#TeachingInColor is nothing without our community, and we want you to be a part of the Summit! We’re seeking proposals for sessions and our Research Symposium, as well as nominations for our third #TiC Educator of the Year awards.
For the third year in a row, we are hosting a Research Symposium highlighting and celebrating critical research on the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, language, and education. We welcome research proposals from university faculty, researchers, educators, activists, youth, parent advocates, graduate and undergraduate students, nonprofit leaders, and others. Research themes may include, but are not limited to, those listed in the Call for Proposals.
Please contact Corina De La Torre, corina@creed-nc.org, with any questions.
Research Symposium
Our #TeachingInColor Educator of the Year awards honor outstanding educators (including teachers, school staff, and administrators) of color from across North Carolina.
2025 Educators of the Year:
Dr. Kenya Grant
Dr. Mecca K. Terry
Ja’Quez Taylor
Turquoise LeJeune Parker
Philip Boyd, Jr.
2024 Educators of the Year:
CiCi Weston
Franchone Bey
Angela Uribe Romero
Educator of the Year
About Sankofa
The lessons of the past not only sustain us, they guide us.
In the Akan tradition from West Africa, Sankofa means to go back and fetch it. It is the deliberate act of retrieving wisdom from the past to build a future that does not repeat old injuries.
In a period when things seem uncertain and unsettled, we need grounding. In a moment that demands resilience and resolve to push back against the forces that treat equity like a dirty word, we need strategy. In a climate that seeks to reverse the gains and halt the momentum initiated by those educators of color before us, we need remembrance.
It is time for Sankofa—a chance to reclaim what we have left behind, to pull on the educational legacies passed down to us, and use all we collectively know and have known as a basis to chart our course.
In the spirit of Sankofa, the 2026 #TeachingInColor Summit calls us all to reconnect, recover, and re-envision a path forward—to look back to the future—together.
Thank you to our sponsors!
Become a sponsor
Partner with us to advance educational equity and strengthen the pipeline of educators of color across North Carolina. Your sponsorship directly supports transformative learning experiences, wellness resources, and recognition for educators who are shaping the future of our state. Together, we can ensure every student it taught, supported, and inspired by diverse and empowered leaders.
Interested in partnering? Let’s get started!
