Mission

Rooted in C.A.R.E.—Community, Advocacy, Resources, and Education.

NOIR Edu is a collaborative collective of Black educators and education advocates committed to empowering and connecting those who shape learning across our local and national landscapes. Through equitable access to resources, intentional events, and sustained awareness-building, we support the growth, well-being, and innovation of Black educators and Black educator-adjacent communities.

Our work is rooted in the belief that when Black educators thrive, learning does as well.

Identity Statement

We are a collaborative collective of Black educators and education advocates committed to empowering and connecting those who shape learning across our local and national landscapes. Through equitable access to resources, intentional events, and sustained awareness-building, we support the growth, well-being, and innovation of Black educators and Black educator-adjacent communities. Our work is rooted in the belief that when Black educators thrive, learning does as well.

Position Statements

  • We believe that the success of Black educators is essential to the success of education as a whole. We are committed to creating spaces that nurture, protect, and amplify Black educators at every stage of their careers. This includes advocating for retention, professional development, leadership opportunities, and environments where Black educators can bring their full selves to the education/community of teaching and learning.

  • We affirm that Black culture, history, language, and ways of knowing are not supplementary—they are foundational. Educational spaces must actively center and honor Black cultural knowledge, not just as curriculum content, but as living expertise embedded in our communities. We reject narratives that marginalize or tokenize and minoritized Black voices in education, and we promote practices that are rooted in cultural currency and dignity.

  • We stand in the tradition of Black educators who have long resisted oppression and erasure, injustice, and systemic inequity. Our work continues this legacy—not only through what we teach, but through how we organize, collaborate, and advocate. We honor this revolutionary lineage with a radical commitment to truth-telling, critical thinking, and collective action that uplifts our communities while embracing/demanding solidarity from all who share in this vision.

  • We are not here to reform systems that were never designed with us in mind—we are here to reimagine and co-create new educational futures. Futures where Black students, educators, and communities thrive. Futures rooted in sustaining humanizing practices such as joy, justice, innovation and liberation. We welcome all who are ready to engage in the deep, transformative work of building what has never fully existed—but has always been possible.

Meet the Co-Founders

Dr. Brittany Powell
Co-Founder, Noir Edu, Inc.

Dr. Brittany Powell is an educator, researcher, and community builder who believes the best learning doesn’t happen in isolation, it happens in relationship. Whether inside a classroom, around a book, or across a community gathering, she has dedicated her career to creating spaces where educators, students, and families feel seen, valued, and connected.

A former elementary teacher and instructional coach, Dr. Powell now serves as the Director of Educational Advocacy for the City of Wilmington, where she works to strengthen the village surrounding every child through partnerships, literacy, family engagement, and community collaboration. She is also the founder of Read & Represent, a literacy initiative connecting Black community volunteers with young readers, and BCP Consulting, where she supports schools and organizations in building equitable, culturally responsive learning communities.

That same commitment to belonging inspired Dr. Powell to co-found Noir Edu, Inc., where she has helped reimagine what it means to support educators beyond the school day. Together with her team, she has created experiences that prioritize joy, authentic connection, and collective care, bringing Delaware educators together not simply to network, but to build lasting relationships, celebrate one another, and remember that none of us were meant to do this work alone. Through Noir Edu, Dr. Powell continues to champion a simple but powerful belief: when educators are poured into, entire communities flourish.

Dr. Jalaal A. Hayes
Co-Founder, Noir Edu, Inc.

Dr. Jalaal A. Hayes — known to many simply as "Dr. JAH" — is a scientist, entrepreneur, and lifelong champion of education who believes real change happens when communities come together, not just around a conference table, but around a shared meal, a good conversation, and genuine relationship-building.

By day, Dr. Hayes leads groundbreaking work in clean energy, running a research lab at Lincoln University focused on hydrogen storage and quantum simulation, and serving as CEO of Evince, Inc. But his heart has always been rooted in education and uplift a passion that took shape early as a proud Lincoln University of PA and Delaware State University alumnus and continues today through his active leadership in the DSUAA.

That same spirit of connection led Dr. Hayes to co-found Noir Edu, Inc., where he's helped shape a teacher retention model built not from the top down, but from the ground up through community social events that bring Delaware educators together to be seen, celebrated, and supported. Rather than treating retention as a policy problem to be solved on paper, the Noir Edu team has leaned into gatherings and shared experiences as the foundation, creating spaces where teachers can build friendships, find mentorship, and remember why they fell in love with teaching in the first place.

Meet the Team

  • Justin Wynn

    Director of Finance, Impact & Evaluation

  • Edward Franklin III M.S

    Director of Community Engagement & Member Experience

  • Kierra Jenkins M.Ed

    Director of Organizational Growth & Sustainability

  • Philmekia Donato M.S

    Director of Advocacy & Strategic Communications

  • Ralandre Lacy MSOL

    Director of Strategic Partnerships & Experiences

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