28 days --- 56 ways to be Young, Gifted and Black: LaJuana Stidmon

How do you spend your days?

Right now my life is totally consumed by teenagers and school. I am the mom of a high school senior and I teach high school Biology and AP Biology. As much as I like to think I am the boss of them, my days are totally dictated by them, their needs, their wants, and trying to meet them or crush them…it depends on what they request. I am also not doing homework for my M. A. K12 Administration degree because I don’t like doing homework. Oh the irony. I’ve also been hanging out with Dr. Bae and meeting some of his awesome family and friends.

What brings you joy?

· HOPE

· KB

· Family gatherings

· My awesome friends

· TEACHING

· Chicken wings (St. Louis Chicken Wing Company)

· Sushi Rolls (Crunchy Bagel from Café Mochi)

· Belly Laughs/Cracking up

· When my students learn

· When I learn something new

· Nikki Giovanni poems

· Science News

· Rae Srummerd

· Spotify

· Dancing like no one’s watching

· Supernatural, The Walking Dead, Jane the Virgin, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and far too many more television shows.

· Saying “Like a mug”, “Bruh”, and “Da fuck?”

What is liberation to you?

Liberation, to me is, being. I want to exist in a world where people can just be and they aren’t persecuted or judged for what they look like, what they wear, who they love, or how much money they don’t have.

Liberation, to me, is also being able to afford to pay for my daughter to go to Hampton University on a teacher’s salary.

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