Black joy, Black girl magic, and Black excellence are all phrases that have been used to uplift members of the Black community and shine a positive light on Black people for non-Black people to see. At times, these words are used so much that it might not be clear what they mean in different settings such as education.

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to talk to Marlon Llewellyn, Director of Recruitment & Strategic Partnership for Marian University’s Klipsch Educators College, about Black excellence in education and what that means for students, educators, and parents.

Part of our conversation centered around him being born in Jamaica and how he saw himself as Jamaican and was not prepared to be seen as only Black in the United States. In the U.S., he learned what it meant to be Black, and he also experienced racism. When I asked him how he was able to drive success such as previously leading an A-rated school, he said that he never saw being Black as a barrier. He He believe excellence is something everyone can achieve and it takes teamwork and love.

Additionally, we discussed the upcoming Black Excellence in Education Awards ceremony that will be held at the Ivy Tech Community College Culinary and Conference Center located at 2820 North Meridian Street Indianapolis, Indiana 46208 on June 13, 2022, from 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. We both have been recipients of the award. With Black educators more likely to leave the profession, Llewellyn believes it is important to honor their hard work and dedication to achieving high student outcomes.

In short, Black excellence is putting a highlight on what we know is already possible.

Click here to listen to our entire conversation.