Special Course: The Black Teaching Tradition and the Legacy of Proclamation in the Black Church

Special Course instructed by Rev. Dr. Akosua Lesesne: The Black Teaching Tradition and the Legacy of Proclamation in the Black Church

Dates: May 6 – June 10, 2025 // Tuesdays, 7-9pm via Zoom

Course Description:

In this course, we will explore the relationship between the transformative legacy of Black teaching excellence and the powerful tradition of Black preaching. Participants will come away from this course with a new or renewed understanding of how the practices of proclamation in the Black Church and pedagogical genius in Black schoolhouses are aligned. The primary aim of this course of study is to reclaim and (re)member the liberatory power of Black teaching and Black preaching for greater impact in the pulpit and traditional learning settings alike. Study will be taken up through the lens of Sankofa: an African word from the Akan peoples in Ghana. The literal translation of the word and the Sankofa symbol is “it is not taboo to fetch what is at risk of being left behind.”

Meet the instructor

Rev. Dr. Akosua Lesesne is an educational design leader and creator of the Black Teaching Tradition (BTT)®: Teacher Development Framework for Pedagogical Genius. She is the founder of The Lesesne Collective Corp (Lesesne Collective) dba Sisters in Education Circle (SIEC) and Lesesne Legacy Learning Village (Lesesne Learning). Prior to founding Lesesne Collective dba SIEC, Akosua’s commitment to upholding historic legacies of Black teaching excellence for justice and liberation defined fifteen years of work as a teacher then district leader in the sixth, fourth, and eight-largest school districts in the nation respectively and design consultant serving a wide array of educational organizations and initiatives across the United States–from preschool through higher education, including theological education. Akosua was licensed and ordained by the late and legendary Rev. Dr. Mack King Carter at New Mount Olive Baptist Church, Fort Lauderdale, FL and served under Dr. Carter as Interim Minister of Education. She is also an ordained elder, Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA). Akosua earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Tufts University, and a Doctorate in Educational and Organizational Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.

Offered by the Leadership Institute at Union Presbyterian Seminary

Registration closes on May 1, 2025. Late registration ends on May 9, 2025.

If you are UPSem faculty or staff you can register for free HERE. If you are in financial need of a discounted registration fee, please contact Deborah Keyes.