Looking Back to Move Forward: A Model of Possibility for Culturally Affirming & Equitable Practice

Tracy Heilers
Nov 20, 2025
5 min read

Updated: Dec 10, 2025

Dr. Ashley Gibson, EdD, MTS, BA

Educating Mindfully Board Member

K-12 Educator, Texas, USA

CEO/Founder Interior Learning, LLC

Mindfulness-Based Learning Framework Components: Presence & Embodiment

Listen To the Learncast Episode

“When we teach with Sankofa, we remember that the past is not gone. It is guiding us. And that remembrance, when paired with courage and care, has the power to transform everything about how we learn, lead, and live…culturally affirming education isn’t only about inclusion; it’s about restoration.” -Dr. Gibson

My Classroom Journey

This year in AP Research, I decided to do something a little different. As my students began drafting their research questions and preparing their Inquiry Proposal Forms (IPFs), we spent six weeks reading excerpts from The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

I read the prologue and final chapters aloud, framing the study with care, curiosity, and compassion. Each week, students annotated and wrote double-entry journals; not just analyzing the text but reflecting on how Henrietta’s story reshaped their understanding of research ethics.

They were invited to consider their own “Henriettas”: people, communities, or histories that had been left out or misrepresented in research.

Their research questions became sharper. Their introductions carried more weight. They didn’t just want to study something; they wanted to do it right. As an AP Research Exam Reader, I’ve seen how many students excel in method and structure but struggle to write about ethical considerations with depth and authenticity. Their work is technically sound, yet emotionally disconnected. I believe that happens when research is taught as a procedure rather than a human practice.

Reading Henrietta’s story changed that. It reminded students that research isn’t just data; it’s people. As they reflected on power, consent, and accountability, something shifted. Their questions deepened. Their writing became more intentional. They didn’t just want to study something; they wanted to honor it.

This is the work of Sankofa: looking back to move forward.

What’s Possible When We Teach with Sankofa

When I brought the story of Henrietta Lacks into the classroom, I wasn’t just adding a new text; I was creating space for remembrance.

Sankofa is an Akan concept that means “go back and fetch it.”

It teaches that progress requires reflection; that the past is not something to discard or escape but something to learn from, honor, and carry forward with integrity.

In my classroom, Sankofa serves as both a framework for research and a philosophy of care. It guides students to examine not only what they study but how they approach knowledge:

Whose voices do they cite?
Whose stories are they telling?
What values do they bring to their inquiry?

But Sankofa isn’t only for students. It can serve as a guide for anyone teaching, leading, or learning, whether in a classroom, an organization, or a community space. It can remind us that culturally affirming education is not just about inclusion; it’s about restoration. It calls us to retrieve the wisdom, humanity, and dignity that already exist within our histories, families, and collective memory.

Why Culturally Affirming & Equitable Practice Matters

My decision to center Henrietta Lacks was deliberate. Every student deserves to experience a classroom that teaches them not just how to research, but who research should serve.

To teach in a culturally affirming way means we must show our learners that:

Learning and knowledge are not neutral; they’re personal. (Freire, 2000)
Who gets studied, and how, reveals deeper truths about power, care, and justice.
Their own identities and curiosities belong in academic and professional spaces.

This is what bell hooks called engaged pedagogy (hooks, 1994): a way of teaching that prioritizes the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual growth of both learners and educators. It’s embodied pedagogy: not just in what we say, but in how we show up, how we design, and how we attune ourselves to one another.

Culturally affirming and equitable education isn’t about slogans or buzzwords. It’s about asking: Who is this for? Why now? And how can it serve something bigger than the assignment?

A Universal Reflection Prompt: “Why This? Why Now?”

Use this prompt to begin any unit, project, or collaborative initiative across classrooms, organizations, or teams.

Prompt:

Think about the topic, idea, or project you’re about to begin. Ask yourself: Why this? Why now? Why me?

Then, invite participants to reflect on:

How this connects to their lived experiences or current context
Why it matters to their community or field
How it links to larger histories, systems, or future change

You can scaffold this reflection with journals, small-group discussions, or community circles.

This simple practice builds critical consciousness, the ability to see one’s world as connected to something bigger, and cultivates care, a quality we need in every field, from STEM to art to leadership.

Final Reflection

Culturally affirming and equitable practices are not a trend; they’re a commitment.

It tells our learners, young and old, that they are not just thinkers. They are feelers. They are builders. They are inheritors of complex histories and creators of something more just. When we teach with Sankofa, we remember that the past is not gone; it is guiding us.

And that remembrance, when paired with courage and care, has the power to transform everything about how we learn, lead, and live.

Invitational Practices:

Below are several practices that connect with our companion Learncast Episode:

Based on the blog’s themes and the Sankofa framing, here are concise practices that can serve as the invitational section:

Sankofa Reflection Prompts: Build weekly time for students or staff to reflect on “what we must return to” in order to move forward in learning or practice.
Culturally Affirming Instructional Moves: Embed stories, histories, and examples that reflect students’ identities and intellectual contributions directly into lessons; not as add-ons.
Restorative Opening & Closing Rounds: Use brief community-building circles to ground classrooms in a sense of belonging, connection, and shared purpose.
Trauma-Supportive Choice Points: Offer students multiple pathways for engagement, reducing pressure while increasing agency.
Equity-Minded Feedback: Provide specific, asset-based feedback that focuses on growth rather than compliance.

Featured companion Mindfulness-Based Learning Lesson Inspiration for Educating Mindfully Members:

Educating Mindfully members, be sure to log into your account before clicking the link so you are taken directly to this resource. Not a member yet and would like to gain access to this resource and more? Consider joining us today or ask your school/district leadership team to invest in an Educating Mindfully Group Membership so every staff member has access.

About the Author

ASHLEY GIBSON

K-12 Educator, Founder of Interior Learning

Texas, USA

Dr. Ashley Gibson is a veteran K-12 in-service educator in Houston, TX. Her areas of passion and expertise include building capacity for teacher critical consciousness and restorative practices. She earned her doctorate in Learning and Organizational Change at Baylor University where her research and writing centered on intersectional learning communities, restorative practice facilitation, and enacting culturally sustaining pedagogies. She has taught in a variety of K-12 classroom settings, including advanced placement rhetoric and composition, and social action. Dr. Gibson’s broader research and writing interests are included at the intersections of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). She also serves as a curriculum team member of Houston’s Project Curate, a faith-based social justice and activist collective, and enjoys reading, writing, teaching Zumba, and hanging out with her two cats James Baldwin and Mandy.