Today we’d like to introduce you to Kwame Sarfo-Mensah.
Kwame, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in a household with two parents who emigrated from Ghana in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. As a second-generation Ghanaian immigrant growing up in the United States, my identity has always been a central part of my life story. During my elementary school years, I remember dealing with classmates who made fun of my skin complexion because I was significantly darker than everybody else. I can also remember folks constantly mispronouncing my name and barely making much of an effort to learn how to pronounce it correctly. It wasn’t until I moved to Ghana after my sixth-grade year in 1995 that I really started to embrace the duality of my cultural identity.
While living in Ghana, I finally recognized the greatness of my cultural heritage and took complete control of my narrative. Becoming more knowledgeable about Ghanaian culture meant fully embracing my cultural identity and gathering the strength and confidence to withstand the negative comments people made about my culture. Once I developed a strong foundational knowledge of self, there was absolutely nothing that anyone could say that could take away my pride. Ghana is at the very core of who I am, and that can never be taken away from me. If I could sum up my transformative experience in Ghana in one sentence, it would be in the following manner: When I first arrived to Ghana, I viewed myself as an American who was born to Ghanaian parents, but by the time I left, I was acknowledged as a Ghanaian who happened to be born in the United States.
When I moved back to the United States three years later, my mother enrolled me in a predominantly white high school in Windsor Locks, CT where I was one of only 15 Black students within a student body of 500 students. During those high school years, I experienced my share of microaggressions. From white classmates wanting to touch my hair to the school principal insisting that I enroll in “General” courses instead of “Honors” level courses, it was obvious that I didn’t belong in the school. Culturally and socially, it wasn’t a great fit.
Looking back, my unique K-12 experiences laid the foundation for the eventual career I would have in the education field. For the last sixteen years, I have dedicated my life to creating and cultivating learning spaces where Black and Brown students feel honored, affirmed, and liberated enough to be their authentic selves. I’ve been blessed to engage in this important work as a middle school math teacher, author, podcaster, blogger, and an education consultant.
In the end, the ultimate goal is to create the optimal learning environment that I never quite had during my K-12 years………an environment where Blackness is celebrated and not tolerated.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Wow! There have been many obstacles and challenges in my professional journey……way too many to name! I would say the biggest obstacle I’ve had to overcome has been self-doubt. This self-doubt manifests itself in many ways. Sometimes, it shows up as the fear of the unknown. Other times, it shows up as me comparing myself to other edupreneurs who are more established and have a larger social media following.
Don’t get me wrong…I still have days where self-doubt creeps in. The difference now is that I have the receipts to remind myself of the impactful work I’ve done. The receipts are my validation and help to counter any doubts I have about my abilities.
Anytime I’ve chosen to bet on myself, great things have happened so why stop now?!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Since resigning from my middle school math teaching position in Boston and moving abroad in 2019, I have worked primarily as a freelance consultant through my company, Identity Talk Consulting. Recognizing the fact that the teachers around me faced major challenges with making impactful and sustainable change within an education system that, for generations, has been designed to marginalize Black and Brown children, I started Identity Talk with the primary mission of supporting teachers in maintaining their moral and professional principles in spite of those systemic challenges. That’s what inspired me to come up with the official company motto: “Stay True to the Teacher in You”. If teachers are struggling to be their full authentic selves as professionals, how can they model that authenticity to their students who are forced to leave integral parts of their identity at the door due to rules, protocols, practices, and ideals rooted in whiteness? With many states across the nation enforcing book bans, anti-CRT legislation, and anti-LGBTQ legislation over the past few years, my determination has only grown to create optimal learning spaces where the intersectional identities of Black and Brown students are seen, affirmed, celebrated, and honored through curriculum, policy, and pedagogical practices.
Since 2019, I’ve had the opportunity to provide professional development and consulting services to more than 35 different school districts, college, and non-profit organizations globally. While I’m pleased with the impactful work I’ve been able to do with those institutions, I’m most proud of my ability to transition from working 40+ hours per week as a full-time classroom teacher to creating a professional life abroad that aligns with my greatest passions as an educator, allows me to spend more time with my wife and two sons, and affords me the space and autonomy to create multimedia content that extends my reach and positively impacts a greater number of educators and schools. Since leaving the classroom, I’ve launched two podcasts (Identity Talk 4 Educators and Radical Math Talk), organized and facilitated a professional development conference (Stay True to the Teacher in You Summit), self-published two books, landed a book deal with a major education publisher (Stenhouse/Routledge), and currently serve as a social media influencer and editorial writer for brightbeam.
In the end, I truly believe that my versatility and skill set as an education professional is what sets me apart from so many other educators. While I do miss being in the classroom and having that direct daily impact on my students, I’m blessed to know that I have the privilege of not being relegated to just teaching in the classroom full-time. With so many teachers leaving the classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic without having a plan for their professional future, I’m very fortunate to know what my options are professionally and have the ability to pivot whenever the situation calls for it.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
If I can give any advice to an aspiring entrepreneur or professional, it would be to value and build on the networks that you have with others. Even if the person works outside of the industry/profession in which you work, they may know somebody or can refer you to somebody who does your line of work. I can’t tell you how many job opportunities have come in my direction as a result of my connection with another professional I met either in person or online. As much as I’d love to believe that posting my resume and showcasing my work on LinkedIn should be enough to secure a job opportunity, the reality is that my networks and social capital have ultimately led to many of the opportunities I’ve been blessed to secure. In other words, it’s not always about what you can do but rather who you know.
Also, anytime you step out of your house to go anywhere, always have a few business cards with you. You never know who you might encounter in your travels.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.identitytalk4educators.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/kwam_the_identity_shaper
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kwamesm
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwame-sarfo-mensah-76142482/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/identityshaper
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8mP1u2wPVb4UAuct9cM_Yw
- Other: https://www.edpost.com/stories/author/kwame-sarfo-mensah
