‘Black Kid White School,’ and Navigating Racism in Education with Professor Joel Plummer

Host Aaron and co-host Lawrence interview educator, author, and photojournalist Joel Plummer, who calls himself a “historical optometrist” committed to helping Black people see their past, present, and future clearly through teaching, writing, and photography. Plummer shares the moment in a WEB Du Bois Scholars Program that inspired him to become a teacher, his frustration with the absence of Black history in school curricula, and why he wrote “Black Kid White School: What They Don’t Teach Your Black Child,” structured as short Q&A lessons with visuals to fill educational gaps. The conversation covers racism and microaggressions, the burden of proof placed on Black students, strategies for arming students with facts and sources, teaching Black history to largely Latino classes, and a recent Piscataway–Plainfield game security controversy. Plummer explains his photojournalism work in sports, protests, and boxing, why he stopped shooting weddings, and how to get the book and connect via Instagram @ProfPlummer, Amazon, or Sendell’s Bookstore.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/standing-on-business--6735876/support.