November 2, 2025

New on TikTok: Why I do what I do Over the years working as a middle school teacher, professor at Miami Dade College, and poet in the schools across Dade County, I have seen what the educational system has done to our children, and it is heartbreaking. Many arrive bright and eager to learn but soon begin to doubt the value of their own voices. The lessons reward repetition over reflection. The tests measure obedience, not imagination. By the time they graduate, too many have been taught to mistrust their own brilliance. During those years, I tried to bring something different into the room. I introduced students to Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley, and other Black heroes whose ideas carried power and pride. I wanted them to meet minds that looked and sounded like theirs, to know that intellect and beauty are not borrowed. I remember the silence that followed when Garvey’s words landed for the first time: “None but ourselves can free the mind.” You could feel the shift. It was small, but it mattered. Now that I am retired, I have made a promise to continue that work in a new way. The classroom has expanded. The chalkboard has become a camera lens and a keyboard. Through The Garvey Classroom, I use the tools of writing, poetry, and social media to reach our people wherever they are. My goal is the same as it was on the first day I taught: to help our children and our communities remember who they are and what they carry. I do this because I have seen what happens when we forget. When young people grow up without seeing themselves reflected in knowledge, they spend years searching for a place to belong. Garvey’s teachings offer a mirror that restores dignity. Education, at its best, gives people back to themselves. That truth is what guides every story I write, every lesson I build, every video I record. Each piece of work is an act of repair. It is a way of preserving memory and restoring confidence. Whether it is a coloring book for children, a course for teachers, or a reflection shared online, the purpose is the same: to strengthen the mind and steady the spirit. My years in the classroom taught me that change rarely happens in a single moment. It comes through steady practice, through small encounters with truth. The Garvey Classroom continues that rhythm of teaching and remembering. It is my way of keeping the circle open for anyone willing to learn, to question, and to grow strong in identity and purpose. That is why I do what I do. #MarcusGarvey #TheGarveyClassroom

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October 30, 2025

New on TikTok: Daily Garvey Wisdom: Find Your Voice The Power of Speaking Truth There is a quiet moment before we speak when doubt arrives first. It asks who we think we are. It reminds us of every time we stumbled or hesitated. Many turn back there. Yet that pause is not the enemy. It is the threshold. Marcus Garvey did not treat speech as decoration. He treated it as power. He taught that liberation begins when the tongue refuses to be quiet in the face of falsehood. He said, “The tongue is mightier than the pen and the sword” (Garvey, Philosophy and Opinions, 1925). The world has always feared a truthful voice more than any weapon. We inherit more than names. We inherit unspoken lessons about safety and silence. In many families and communities, speaking boldly was not only difficult. It was dangerous. Voice begins small. First, a breath. Then a sound. Then a sentence. You do not need applause. You do not need certainty. You only need honesty. Say one truth today. Something you know but have tucked away. Speak it into an empty room if you must. Let your ears recognize your courage. Words are bridges. They carry us from thought to action, from silence to presence. When you trust your tongue, you are not simply speaking. You are remembering who you are and who you serve. Say one true thing. Let it stand. Then listen to the strength that rises after. #Confidence #MarcusGarveyQuote #MarcusGarvey

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New on TikTok: Leadership in education demands more than occasional lessons during Black History Month—it requires continuous commitment to honoring our ancestors and empowering our communities every day. True champions of Black history learning embed this knowledge into the fabric of daily teaching, nurturing cultural pride alongside social-emotional growth. At The Garvey Classroom, we believe that freedom begins in the mind. Leadership means transforming Garvey's blueprint into practical strategies that connect history with self-knowledge and community responsibility. This is how educators build classrooms that don't just teach facts but repair and restore identity. When leaders commit to continuous Black history education, they create environments where students see themselves in the story of resistance and resilience. They foster confidence and clarity rooted in ancestral wisdom, not just celebration. What does this mean for you as an educator, parent, or community leader? It means taking up the mantle daily—integrating culturally grounded SEL with historical consciousness, using tools like The Garvey Blueprint and our SEL Reflection Cards to make history a living, breathing guide for growth. Leadership is not about waiting for the right moment but about creating it through consistent, intentional action. Join us in championing continuous Black history learning—not as a moment, but as a movement. #MarcusGarvey #MarcusGarveyQuote #BookTok https://ift.tt/arBf921

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New on TikTok: Marcus Garvey's vision goes beyond history books—it is a living blueprint for liberation today. He taught us that freedom begins in the mind, and mental emancipation is the first step toward community repair and collective power. At The Garvey Classroom, we unpack Garvey's teachings not just as historical facts but as practical lessons in clarity, purpose, perseverance, and courage. These principles guide us to live authentically in Babylon—in truth, in order, and in community. Our resources blend social-emotional learning with ancestral wisdom, helping educators, parents, and learners build confidence and cultural pride every day of the year. This is education as repair: restoring the sacred line between ancestor and descendant. Garvey reminds us, "Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds." It is a call to action—to think freely, act boldly, and build a future grounded in self-knowledge and collective responsibility. Join us on this path of remembrance and liberation. Step into The Garvey Classroom and see how Garvey's vision can change your teaching, your learning, and your community. #MarcusGarvey #MarcusGarveyQuote #BookTok https://ift.tt/arBf921

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