Dedication

This dissertation is dedicated to empathic teachers, young and old, novice and veteran, Black and White and to the students they teach. “I pray for all of us, the strength to teach our children what they must learn, and the humility and wisdom to learn from them so that we might better teach ” (Delpit, 1995, p.183). ii Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to thank God who gave me the strength, courage and patience to embark upon this journey. I want to thank my husband, Theo, for being my coach and a tireless supporter. Your constant support allowed me to pursue this dream and see it to its fruition. To my awesome daughter Erika for being the energy that kept me motivated. May we continue to advocate for ourselves and our goals and take leadership on the issues in which we believe. I wish to thank my mom, my sister Vita Jo and my brother Nick for your love and encouragement. I am deeply grateful to my dissertation chair Dr. Martha Adler for her meticulous and thoughtful feedback. Her guidance allowed me to fully and clearly develop my thoughts an