Thank you …

to the foremothers, the matriarchs, the women in my family and outside of it, who have led their lives through an ethic of care before concepts like “ethics of care” were said out loud in educational and/or academic spaces.

to those who were with me from the very beginning: Mom, Dad, Kyle, and Shaun, you were the first to nourish my inquisitive spirit, and helped me shape it into one that remains joyful and curious. Mom and Dad, thank you for having me last; the independence you've gifted me from “being the youngest” initiated an effervescent pursuit toward justice that has never left me.

to the other side of my beating heart: Cornelius. The one who always holds my hand, keeps me centered, and stands beside me as I journey the longer distances from my head back to my heart.

to Soleil, your spirited inquiry and present love has been one of my best teachers.

to Indira, your strength and search toward goodness sustains my belief in better futures.

to Hawa, Cornelius I, Zoe, and Tino: the communal love you have shown me helps me negotiate this world through a clarified sense of family, and I continue to be in awe of your gifts.

to my 6th Street Family: Melissa, Robin, Simone, Jeff, Annie, Michael, and Laura, your presence in my life helped me build upon the idea that joy can be found even in the smallest moments.

to those communities and individuals who permeate/d my life in schools, vacillating on both sides of the personal and professional: The Neighborhood Schools Program, where I was first exposed to the impact of policy‐making and instructional stance on classroom life; The Brooklyn School for Global Studies, where I began my teacherhood and learned to activate love in schools; PS 503, where my teacher agency fully blossomed because of community values placed on educator intellect; the Teachers College Inclusive Classrooms Project, one of the most powerful intellectual homes for me, where I learned to explore the nuances of relationship in schools and inclusivity and the impact of inquiry as stance (Celia, Britt, Kara, Erika, and Anne—I'll always be your fangirl). To all those schools and people I've partnered with through The Minor Collective—thank you for continuing to invite me into your spaces in the quest to find and build future goodness. To Breaths Together for a Change, I'm still developing words to describe the felt knowledge this community of people facilitated!

to Phil Bildner, Arlène Casimir, Sara K. Ahmed, LeUyen Pham, Amy Fandrei, and Kirsten Janene‐Nelson, all of whom meaningfully connected with me throughout the development of this book.

to Brooklyn, the city I call home, to NYC educators, for providing the foundational community I've always sought.

to teachers everywhere. I am in awe of you. I see you, I appreciate you, and most of all, I believe in you.