Our guest this week is Ayo Magwood, founder of Uprooting Inequity—her platform dedicated to sharing resources, curriculum & instructional strategies for teaching about systemic racism & social justice through historical and civics education frameworks. From the moment this podcast begins, Ayo’s deep knowledge of racism, history, and pedagogy is spellbinding. In our overly specialized and atomized academic world, her ability to find an intersection between these three domains set her apart from a lot of other folks working in this field. Understanding problems as complex as systemic racism require nuance, thorough research, and the ability to synthesize countless threads of information. Teaching others about it requires patience, vulnerability, and an commitment. In our short time together, it’s clear Ayo possesses all these traits, as well as a being a great conversationalist, in droves. It’s a skillset and disposition our country needs right now, as more and more people are waking up to the corrosive effects racism has on our systems and structures and on the lives of Black Americans. Luckily, Ayo’s research and knowledge are perfectly suited to help educators and communities understand the roots of these issues, not just skim the surface. This episode was one of my favorites so far, as Ayo is as passionate and she is knowledgeable. She isn’t afraid to model vulnerability and she knows how to frame controversial issues in ways that lead to productive growth and discussion. Overall, her message is pertinent and clear—to truly end inequity, we must uproot it at its source. To do that, we must understand its history.