Finding solace in the fight: a memoir for those who dare to teach

Emmett J. Foster
Wed, 22 Apr 2026 17:45:06 PDT

For my master’s project, I have drawn upon personal, academic, and creative work to formulate a memoir that can be read, digested, and internalized by those who dare to teach (Freire, 2005). This act of decolonization and resistance against Eurocentric academic standards is a hybrid of genres, including personal journal entries, poetry, and academic documentation, thematically splicing together these different forms ofwriting to understand the pain and confusion education inequity poses upon educators. The following themes emerged: antiracist education practices, the 2020 civil rights resurgence, COVID-19’s toll on public education and educators, equity and access within the United States public education system, the status of educator morale, and the critical hope needed to continue marching on toward equitable opportunity for all students. This memoir is informed and framed from an antiracist pedagogical standpoint to synergize both academic and personal phenomena. More importantly, this project has served to bring about personal and communal healing through a renewed sense of critical hope.