A Love Letter to the Bronx with Kai-Ama Hamer

About this episode

Kai Hamer shares her transformative journey from aspiring rapper to educator, emphasizing the importance of authentic relationships in teaching Black children.

Kai Hamer's journey from aspiring rapper to special education teacher to parent engagement director is a love letter to the Bronx. Starting in shelters and after-school programs, she spent 10+ years teaching in her own neighborhood, collecting kids from behind soda machines, visiting grandmothers who couldn't leave home, and fighting for students whose gifts didn't show up on standardized tests. But when colleagues went to the principal instead of coming to her about her social media post on police brutality, she realized some teachers couldn't truly love the Black children they taught. She left the classroom to train educators in what she never got: real support for building authentic relationships with families. Her mission now? Help teachers get free, because you can't pour into kids when your own cup is dry.

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Asia Lyons

Guest: Kai Hamer

Topics covered

• education
• parent engagement
• Black children
• teacher support
• community involvement

Keywords

• Bronx
• special education
• teacher training
• police brutality
• parent engagement
• Black educators
• community support

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: special education, after-school programs, police, teachers, families

Places: Bronx

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