Rahsaan Liddell - Educator & Speaker

Rahsaan Liddell - Educator & Speaker Rahsaan Liddell is an award-winning educator, author, Mandarin tutor, and public speaker with 20+ years of global experience.

A Segal AmeriCorps Education Award recipient, CTE-certified leader, and Rotary Grant winner, specializing in cross-culturalism.

09/16/2026

Education, leadership and civic engagement don’t happen in separate spaces.

This weekend, I had the opportunity to attend Mayor Brandon Johnson’s announcement of his campaign for a second term and spend time in conversation with educators, elected officials, community leaders and people working across Chicago.

As an educator and speaker, I believe strongly in being present where conversations about our schools, young people and communities are happening. Some of the most valuable moments come from listening, reconnecting and building relationships across different parts of the city.

It was great reconnecting with longtime friend and fellow educator Larnce “Coach” White and seeing Rep. La Shawn K. Ford, Congressman Danny K. Davis, Chairman Fred Hampton Jr., Tatyana Najee, Tameka Walton, CTU Vice President Jackson Potter and many others throughout the afternoon.

My work in education has taken me from classrooms in Chicago to classrooms in China and back again. Experiences like this remind me that education,
engagement and leadership are deeply connected.

09/10/2026

Proud to be part of this moment with my Chicago Teachers Union family at the 97th Bud Billiken Parade.

Representation matters. Presence matters. Showing up for our students and our communities matters.

Always proud to represent Chicago educators. ✊🏾

09/04/2026

Sometimes the work you’re doing today started long before you realized it.

Nearly 20 years ago, I went to China as an educator.

I ended up spending almost a decade there teaching, learning, building relationships, experiencing the culture and, yes, somehow singing in Mandarin on stages too. 😂🎤🇨🇳

I didn’t know then that those experiences would eventually help inspire Mandarin for the Culture: A Cultural Passport from “The Chi” to Shanghai.

And I certainly didn’t know there would eventually be an app.

Today, the Mandarin for the Culture interactive learning companion is available FREE on the Apple App Store. 📱

For me, this is bigger than an app.

It’s about taking what I’ve learned as an educator and creating new ways for young people to experience language, culture and the world beyond their own communities.

And yes…that’s really me singing in the video. 😂

From “The Chi” to Shanghai. The journey continues. 🌍

From educator. To author. To app creator. 📚📱🌎I’m excited to share another step in the journey of Mandarin for the Cultur...
08/29/2026

From educator. To author. To app creator. 📚📱🌎

I’m excited to share another step in the journey of Mandarin for the Culture.

The Mandarin for the Culture Learning Companion is now officially available on the Apple App Store.

I created Mandarin for the Culture believing that young people should have opportunities to learn about languages and cultures beyond their own, while also being able to see themselves represented in the learning experience.

The journey started with the book. Now students can continue that experience through an interactive learning companion featuring 13 lessons, Mandarin audio practice, character recognition, dialogue activities, cultural learning, and digital passport stamps.

And the app is FREE.

As an educator, this is the kind of work I want to keep building. Education. Culture. Technology. Global connection.

🍎 App Store download link in the comments.

Changing Lives One Character At A Time.

08/25/2026

Proud to be included in the Chicago Teachers Union’s official back-to-school message. As we begin a new school year, the focus is where it belongs, on our students, their growth, and the educators committed to helping them succeed. Here’s to a great year, Chicago!

08/24/2026

For much of my career, education and cultural connection have gone hand in hand.

During my 13 years working in the NFL with the Chicago Bears, I had the opportunity to help a CCTV television crew from China cover the NFL Draft. Drawing on my years living and working in China and my ability to speak Mandarin, I supported the reporter and crew with translation and cultural guidance, helped them navigate the Bears organization, showed them the field and locker room, made introductions, and connected them with my colleagues at ESPN Radio for an interview reaching audiences in China.

At the time, I was simply doing my job. Today, I see it as something bigger: Chicago, China and the NFL brought together through language and a shared experience.

That same idea is at the heart of the Black-Asian Bridge Initiative, which I’m building to strengthen relationships between Black and Asian communities through education, cultural exchange, youth leadership, community dialogue and meaningful partnerships.

Much of my professional life has involved bringing people from different cultures together and helping them understand one another. This NFL Draft experience was one example of what that can look like.

Now I want to build something much larger.

If you represent a school, university, business, cultural organization or community organization, or if this mission simply speaks to you, I’d like to connect.

Grateful to the Hong Kong Business Association of the Midwest for this warm welcome.I’m pleased to officially join HKBAM...
08/17/2026

Grateful to the Hong Kong Business Association of the Midwest for this warm welcome.

I’m pleased to officially join HKBAM and become part of a network committed to strengthening connections between the Midwest, Hong Kong, and the international community.

This membership represents another step in the work I’m doing as an educational founder and connector, creating stronger pathways between education, culture, communities, and global opportunity.

Looking forward to contributing, learning, and exploring what we can build together.

The original HKBAM announcement can be viewed here:
https://lnkd.in/p/gPNmSb_x

08/11/2026

The 97th Bud Billiken Parade was more than a celebration. It was a reminder of the connection between education, community and the people we serve.

I was honored to ride the Chicago Teachers Union float alongside fellow educators as thousands of Chicagoans filled King Drive.

One moment especially stayed with me. From the crowd: “We need you.”

As an educator, those words mean something.

Proud to serve. Proud to represent Chicago educators. Proud to help prepare the next generation for what comes next. Here’s a glimpse of the experience from my view on the float.

Before moving overseas, I believed education was mostly about teaching content.Living in China expanded that belief.I re...
08/05/2026

Before moving overseas, I believed education was mostly about teaching content.

Living in China expanded that belief.

I realized and found out that the most important lessons often happen outside the classroom.

Experiences like sharing a meal with a family, celebrating holidays, learning customs and even making mistakes in another language taught me
that education isn’t only about information.

It’s about understanding people.

That’s a lesson I try to bring into every classroom, every presentation, and every conversation today.

What’s one experience that completely changed the way you see the world?

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