Who We Are

Black Teaching Artist Lab, LLC (BTAL) is a professional development and travel abroad organization that aims to connect Black teaching artists and learners from the African Diaspora through arts education, in order to unify and strengthen intercultural understanding between marginalized Pan-African populations.

We believe that through the use of art—one of the most powerful tools we have for human expression—Pan-African teaching artists will be able to share their individual stories of the lived Black experience with Black youth, everywhere.

Our Three Pillars

Black Teaching Artist Lab is comprised of three major program pillars: SELF, CULTURE, COMMUNITY. We believe these pillars will provide Black teaching artists with the foundational knowledge, strength, and confidence they need to become strong Black leaders and educators.

Self

Through this pillar of BTAL programming, Black teaching artists partake in a virtual workshop, where they are introduced to BTAL’s Afrocentric Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) framework.
Culture

Through this pillar of BTAL programming, Black teaching artists partake in a virtual workshop, where they are introduced to BTAL’s Afrocentric Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) framework.
Community

We believe in the power of community-building and connecting, both in the United States and abroad, in order to foster a better understanding of the Black experience through art and culture.

“We believe in uplifting the voice of the individual, together.”

Afrocentric Social-Emotional Learning Framework

The Afrocentric Social-Emotional Learning framework is rooted in the desire to center social-emotional learning (SEL) for the Black learner, through arts education. There is an immediate need in the U.S. to facilitate equitable learning experiences for the Black learner in particular, as they have long-since been left out of Eurocentric curriculums and colonized ideologies of success.

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Melissa Parke

Founder
Melissa Parke founded Black Teaching Artist Lab, LLC in 2020, with the mission to give Black teaching artists across the Diaspora the opportunity to become better social and cultural leaders through educational workshops and international travel.
Abby Faires

Program Associate
Abby Faires began working as a program associate for Black Teaching Artist Lab, LLC in 2020. She is deeply passionate about facilitating human-to-human connections that can explore and transcend cultural and socioeconomic boundaries.