“Every story matters…We are all worthy of telling our stories and having them heard. We all need to be seen and honored in the same way that we all need to breathe.” ~ Viola Davis
I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet with Ekua Omosupe via Zoom recently. I have always admired her passion for social justice and her commitment to active participation in the union which began as soon as she was hired at Cabrillo in 1992, when she became a member. Ever the teacher, Ekua makes this connection for her students by sharing with them the accomplishments of unions: the five day work week, the power of collective bargaining, the cost of living adjustment (COLA), improved working conditions such as higher wages and benefits, especially for black people, women, and women of color in particular. At a time when unions, and our democracy, have been under attack, this is such an important message of empowerment and civic engagement for our students: WE is always more powerful than I. Which is another valuable lesson Ekua imparts on her students by asking them to challenge the whole notion of “individualism” and the idea of the “individual,” reminding them that none of us makes or accomplishes anything on our own–we only do so through and with the help and support of others, the collective.
When I asked Ekua how things were going personally and pedagogically in this fully online format, she was quick to share her praise of and gratitude for the Distance Ed Academy, and particularly the steadfast support of Aloha Sargent and Audrey Blumeneau. Like many of us, she also relied on the life line that were her peers, those who had online teaching experience and who mentored her along the way, crediting Nikia Chaney, Steve Schessler, and Lydia Graecyn for their support, compassion, and humanity. She openly discussed her reticence, anxiety, and even fear of teaching online in the past due mostly to her concerns around how to meaningfully engage with students and get students engaged with the material and from simply not knowing what to expect. With the pandemic making all of us practitioners of pedagogical yoga, Ekua noticed that just as she encourages her students not to be afraid to ask for help and get the support they need, she too had to make the commitment and take responsibility to lean on support systems to “walk in the spaces we feared before.” In this way, Ekua has really seen herself reflected in the student experience as we all learn new skills, bring a lot of empathy, and help each other to adjust to these times.
Some things you may not know about Ekua: She has eleven grandchildren and one great-grandson on the way! She was the recipient of the 1992 Pat Parker Poetry Prize, an award for a free verse narrative poem. She has also been awarded the Who’s Who Among American College Teachers several times, and she was the first African American faculty member hired for tenure track in English at Cabrillo College. Along with Cabrillo faculty member, Don Williams, Ekua recently participated in last month’s African American Theater Arts Troupe 30th Anniversary Gala in which she recited her poem, “Community” from her book, Legacy (you’ll find her at the 47:00 mark if the link doesn’t automatically take you there).
Ekua is passionate about poetry and social justice with a spotlight on white supremacy and what grows out of that soil. She is committed to breaking down false divisions and highlighting how our destinies are woven together, including our planet’s through clean air, clean water, and clean soil. As she put it, love is a powerful healer. And this is why Ekua loves talking to people, sharing and hearing everyone’s stories, to better understand and love all.
Listening to Ekua Omosupe speak is like poetry in motion; she is wise, observant, powerful, graceful, and uplifting of all humxns. As she said at the conclusion of our conversation, she stands with solidarity, with dignity, with liberation, with social and environmental justice, and with LOVE—”love is a gift”. Ekua, YOU are a gift—to our profession, and to all with whom you interact and grace with your strong and joyful spirit.
Rachel Mitchell, CCFT Council Representative & Anthropology Instructor
I was feeling very fortunate to have gotten to snag some phone time with Brielle after learning that she is currently teaching online in five different districts this semester! That means five different email accounts, five different LMS logins, AND, a very diverse group of students up and down the state, which she loves. Brielle was hired as a full time instructor at Cabrillo in 2018, but life changes led her to relocate to southern California where she currently resides. As a beloved instructor, our students are so fortunate that Brielle remains a valuable part of the outstanding Comm Studies department.
While discussing how things were going in distance learning, Brielle explained that her teaching career began in 2016 with being trained in Canvas so it’s always been built into her pedagogy. This has allowed her the time and space to experiment with and discover what works and what doesn’t and she’s enthusiastically embraced professional development opportunities to expand her tech tool and teaching repertoire. Not surprisingly, Brielle is particularly interested in the incorporation and impact of emerging technologies on communication and behavior and views them as helping to build more inclusive and equitable educational opportunities and communication channels, especially through things like podcasts and documentaries. In fact, she has a self-professed fascination with and draw to big technology and has even seriously considered becoming a User Experience designer or working in some other private sector capacity related to the intersection of technology, education, and healthcare to help develop tools that address equity gaps in these areas. We talked about some of the long lasting changes to education post-pandemic, and how learning communities for faculty will play a vital role in supporting each other and our students in gaining proficiency and comfort with this rapidly evolving technology and all it has to offer.
On the personal front, Brielle is passionate about yoga, mindfulness, and movement throughout the day–getting off the screen, into the body, and outside in nature. Something you might not know about Brielle is that she is also a yoga instructor, something she was drawn to in grad school to help her find balance and a medium through which she can promote wellness for herself and others.
When I asked Brielle what her hopes are for her students and for the college as we approach the one year mark of fully online teaching and learning, in her characteristically positive way, she expressed the importance of having a growth mindset and in staying flexible, always being mindful of the real hardships folx are facing on the daily, and prioritizing taking care of people. Sounds like the perfect “design for care” that is urgently needed in these times: taking care of students, taking care of ourselves, and taking care of learning through honoring our humanity first. Thank you, Brielle, for reminding us of the centrality of this in our continued practice of pedagogical yoga during the pandemic, and always.
Rachel Mitchell, CCFT Council Representative & Anthropology Instructor