CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE “We Who Are Dark”

CHAPTER TWO Educational Survival

CHAPTER THREE Mattering

CHAPTER FOUR Grit, Zest, and Racism (The Hunger Games)

CHAPTER FIVE Abolitionist Teaching, Freedom Dreaming, and Black Joy

CHAPTER SIX Theory Over Gimmicks: Finding Your North Star

CHAPTER SEVEN We Gon’ Be Alright, but That Ain’t Alright

Acknowledgments