The Black Nursery Manager

Sometimes share the highs of this work 🌤️

I haven’t stopped thinking about THIS statement 😔 … I feel so sick

supper.club are in Belfast raising funds and doing food drops for families. Orla McKeating is on the ground and her love, care and commitment to anti-racism is beautiful to witness.

Please support the fund on .supper.club page if you can and tag any others doing the work locally 💚

On Friday afternoon I travelled to Easton Community Children’s Centre in Bristol to be in conversation and in community with 40 or so early years professionals who have been committed to anti-racism as an integral part of their practice and it left me feeling moved in so many ways.

I was really touched that it was a full room because people had a choice to spend their Friday in that way ❤️

Dr Shaddai Tembo (pleeeeeease read his work if you haven’t already) is more than an early years colleague that I deeply admire but has become a brilliant critical friend who challenges me to think more presently and deeply about this work. He posed questions that interrogated my sense of purpose and caused me to reflect on what it is that I’m actually trying to achieve by working in the way that I do with anti-racist practice at the core and I think it’s really important to have chances to reflect when you’re doing this work 💭

The audience were brilliant and engaged. They shared wisdom that I reflected on like, how they showed up for their children, how they named the racial disparities in their nurseries that they saw as a result of gentrification in the area. They talked about how activism had to be an essential part of their roles as educators in the face of the far right riots outside of hotels in Bristol housing children and families and that nurseries must be a place of sanctuary and peace for all of the children who come through their doors.

I think that I’m always quite emotionally charged when I do this work but two things that brought me to the brink of tears was when a Muslim educator in the room thanked me for my explicit nature and style - she said that her witness to my ability to say it how it is was refreshing but also quite brave. The second moment was at the end of my talk when the few Black women who were in the room came up to me and we had a group hug 🤣😭 they don’t know how much I needed that and from them ❤️

If you’re in or near Bristol, I implore you to support the work that Izzy, Beth, Shaddai and Erin are doing by attending their next EY Forum for anti - racist practice on:

📅 Monday 22nd June, 5.30–7pm
📍 Easton Community Children’s Centre

Another throwback face, more ramblings 🫠

🚨 REMINDER: Next month I’m in Bristol in conversation with one of my absolute faves in the early years space - Dr Shaddai Tembo.

Over the years me and Shaddai have worked in the anti-racism and social justice space in this sector and both of us have come directly from practice - Shaddai a former nursery practitioner in Bristol , me a former nursery manager in Birmingham - and our experiences have ultimately formed the foundations for the work that we both do now.

Me and Shaddai have written together (something we’re hoping to do more of), delivered keynotes at the same conferences and most recently worked together on the Birth to Five Matters guidance.

It’s not often you get to hear perspectives about the landscape of the sector and reflections of how the work feels when you exist as us so I really am looking forward to this event and am hoping that some of you will be there too!

🎟️ I’ll pop the ticket link for the few remaining tickets in the linktree in my bio

You missed this expression?
Me too.

Only the OG followers know 🫠

Definitely my favourite picture from last week with Millie and Warda ❤️❤️

We all work in this space as collaborators and not competitors. Having women like this who champion my work (and vice versa) even when we’re not in the same rooms is a thing of beauty ✨

I’m going to be in Brighton next week delivering a presentation for with my usual focus on how we think about Black children in the early years space.

My talk is entitled: White Systems, Deficit Stories: Reframing Black Children in Early Years Practice.

A focus on anti-racist practice within early years, with particular attention on how deficit narratives shape the experiences of Black and racially minoritised children and their families within SEND and wellbeing systems.

I’m really hoping that those of you who are local or can get there will be able to attend because it’s always better to be in community in person!

Nothing but massive respect to the founder of who has been a huge supporter of my work since 2021 (she was one of the original attendees at my £10 webinars in the early days of me starting this platform!) 🤗

I’ve put the ticket link in my bio ❤️