FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 4, 2025

[Gibsonville, NC] – More than 100 educators, education leaders, and stakeholders from across North Carolina gathered on Saturday, February 1, 2025 at the DRIVE Coalition Annual Summit to honor the enduring legacy of Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown, Black education and strategize solutions for diversifying the state’s educator workforce. With this year’s theme, “Whatever They See is What They’ll Be: Elevating the Legacy of Black Education through Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown,” the event served as both a historical reflection and a call to action for advancing equity in education.

The event was held at the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum and featured a powerful keynote by Dr. Cherrel Miller Dyce, who delivered an insightful address on the impact of Dr. Brown’s work and the lesson we can extract for this current time.

“Dr. Hawkins Brown did her best to protect her students and the school. She provided every opportunity to give them a well-rounded education with a careful eye for safety, community, meaning-making, and freedom dreaming,” said Dr. Miller Dyce. “Beloved Community, we are not people without hope, Dr. Hawkins Brown showed us what’s possible.”

Key Takeaways and Impactful Discussions
Throughout the day, summit participants engaged in breakout sessions and panel discussions focused on culturally responsive pedagogy, strategies for retaining teachers of color, and the role of collaboration and partnerships in supporting diversity in education.

Key sessions included:

• A workshop on Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, led by affiliated practicing teachers with the NC Department of Natural & Cultural Resources, provided educators with strategies to integrate Black history into their classrooms.
  
  
• A panel discussion, “Building Networks of Support: Strategies for Retaining Educators of Color,” moderated by Deanna Townsend-Smith, featuring experienced educators sharing models for mentorship and professional development.
  
  
• A closing session, “Empowering the Next Generation,” featuring reflections from Dr. Dudley Flood and Dr. James Ford on actionable next steps for advancing the goals of the DRIVE Coalition.

Launch of Charlotte Hawkins Brown Fellows Program
One of the summit’s most significant announcements was the launch of the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Fellows Program, a new initiative designed to support and elevate educators of color in North Carolina. This six-month fellowship, running from June to December 2025, will provide professional development, mentorship, and community-building opportunities for teachers committed to fostering equity in education.

Applications for the fellowship will open on February 17, 2025.

Looking Ahead
As the summit concluded, participants left with a renewed sense of purpose and commitment to increasing educator diversity across the state. “This event offered the wisdom and insight we needed in this moment to continue to move forward despite perceived challenges” said Dr. Townsend Smith, Senior Director of the Flood Center. “We must remember to never again stop doing the necessary work individually, collectively, and forever.” The DRIVE Coalition and its partners remain committed to continuing this work throughout the year, ensuring that the lessons of history inform today’s strategies for recruiting and retaining adiverse teacher workforce in NC. For more information about the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Fellows Program and to apply, visit https://floodcenter.org/

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About the DRIVE Coalition
The DRIVE Coalition is a statewide initiative dedicated to increasing diversity in North Carolina’s educator workforce through research, policy, and strategic action.

About the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity
The Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity & Opportunity (Flood Center) serves as a hub to identify and connect organizations, networks, and leaders to address issues of equity, access, and opportunity in education across North Carolina. Leaning on the 70+ years of experience and wisdom of our namesake Dr. Dudley E. Flood, the Flood Center works collaboratively to take action toward addressing issues of systemic racism by advocating for structural changes in policy and practice to build an equitable education system that meets the social, emotional, and academic needs of NC’s diverse student population. Specifically, the Dudley Flood Center exists to create an equitable education system by addressing the systemic inequities plaguing the educational system which limit opportunity and access for PK – 12 students and educators. Follow the Flood Center on Twitter @DudleyFloodCtr and visit our website at https://floodcenter.org/.