We recently connected with Hedreich Nichols and have shared our conversation below.
Hedreich, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
I was born in a Negro hospital. When I tell people this, they are usually shocked. Especially when I tell people that I also keep up with the latest Tiktok dance trends.
How can I be that old AND that young? Or, is it our conception of time? When we look at pictures from the Civil Rights era, we see sepia and black and white images that seem to equate that time with ‘long ago and far away. The Jim Crow era was neither. I was born in a Negro hospital and schooled in one of the early integrated schools in Houston ISD. My teachers had not gone to school with kids who looked like me. Many of them resented having to teach students that looked like me. But for better opportunities, my mothers and mothers like her, little by little, began to send their children to schools that were woefully unprepared to teach in diverse classrooms.
I remember being hyper-visible during the reading of Huckleberry Finn, the discussions on slavery and any time anything to do with the Black community came up at school.
Fast forward a generation. My own son told me of his hyper-visibility during Black History month. He felt burdened at needing to be the “expert in all things Black” at the age of 8. Why did my son’s experience in an integrated classroom still mirror mine, decades later? And if he felt uncomfortable, what about all or the other children of color being served by teachers who are still woefully underprepared for teaching in the diverse classroom?
Hearing my son explain what Black History Month was like for him each year woke something up in me. I decided that the 80+ percent of White teachers teaching our soon to be majority minority US population needed my help. Serving a diverse population and teaching students who don’t look like, think like, worship like, vote like you requires self-reflection and cultural literacy that educators often have little time for–except that they can’t afford NOT to take the time.
That’s how SmallBites was born. Small bites of cultural literacy can bring about needed change in the classroom, and that’s my goal, to help bring about the change that is necessary if we are to see ALL students served equitably.
Hedreich, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
When George Floyd was killed, many organizations and consultants jumped on the DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) bandwagon. It was the first time many people realized that the reality for people of color can be very different than the reality of the White community. Many of those of us who work in DEI felt emboldened and wanted to share our story, our pain, hoping that it would be met with an empathetic “aha, let’s change that”. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. While some people did have aha moments, many have shunned the work accusing people of “playing the race card” or “being victims”.
One differentiating factor in the DEI work at SmallBites, is that we realize that empathy goes both ways. It’s not always easy, we have to step outside our collective trauma to realize that there is an emotional toll for people being confronted with the gaping inequities in our systems. We have all been taught patriotism, we’ve learned about the greatness of our country and our founding fathers. Seeing the incongruence in what our founding documents say and the brutal truth of indigenous genocide, human trafficking, apartheid and other human rights violations as who we are requires us all to realize the gaslighting that goes on in K12 education. If you are indigenous, Japanese, Black or from any community who has lived with these truths, it’s easy to miss that for those who have been able to live the American dream of liberty and justice for all, these realizations may upend their world. They may not have the courage to look at older loved ones and equate their intercultural choices with racism, sexism, homophobia or any of the other isms and phobias, based on the fact that common behaviors based on the mores of their time caused harm to others. They may not be able to let go of celebrations, heroes or pride around certain symbols and groups. In short, we are asking them to look at people and things they love and say they are bad. That’s difficult for anyone.
The people who need to work harder to serve all students and staff better are the least likely to want to acknowledge the difficult truths that will help them serve those people better. That realization guides the consulting work that SmallBites does with educational organizations. Talking to the ‘anti-woke’ folks, the ‘don’t say gay’ folks is, as they say, “my jam”. Growing up in conservative Texas has given me a unique voice that helps to bridge the gaps in understanding that often shows up in White conservative circles. And it sets SmallBites apart from other companies who may be great at telling truths but less experienced in guiding resistant learners toward impactful change.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I was a 16-year-old senior in High School. I was riding in the car with my mom and a friend. At a signal light, I remarked that I wanted one of those flags I saw in the window of the truck next to us. They chuckled, I doubled down. I explained that it would go with the décor in my bedroom. They stopped chuckling as they realized that I was serious.
My mom’s friend asked me if I knew what that was. At that moment, the blinders carefully designed by 12 public school years of the Texas slant on history fell off: No, I did NOT want a Confederate flag in my room, after all.
In that moment I realized that if the “D…n Yankees” had not won the Civil War, I would still be picking cotton as a slave on a plantation. In that moment, I unlearned “Southern Pride” and started to question the version of history I had been taught, one in which the Glorious South would rise again.
I am thankful for that moment, it was the beginning of my journey to where I am now. It also was a turnkey moment, providing me the context that I have that makes me good at what I do as a consultant, especially with conservative audiences.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I am active on social media, and I often share DEI tips and strategies. What I hear over and over is that my tone makes people want to listen. Especially now, with so much backlash from politicians, parents, school boards etc., people want to know that they will not be called names. Imagine, you are a personal trainer and one of your clients needs to lose 100+ pounds. If you walk in and say, “you eat too much, you’re fat, this will be hard, I hope you are ready to get comfortable with being hungry and sore”, you might lose your client on the spot. If you show that you understand that it might be hard, but that you have some strategies that will help and make them feel so much better, you will probably win over this person who needs what you have to offer. That’s what SmallBites does really well. SmallBites courses and workshops help people to understand the behaviors and habits that undermine the success and mental health of those around them, so there is buy in. No one wants to be a bad human. Racism, misogyny, religious or political bias are all learned behaviors, therefore they can be unlearned, just like poor eating and fitness habits. The device is to allow them the opportunity to want to.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hedreich.com/
- Instagram: @hedreichnichols
- Facebook: Hedreich Nichols
- Linkedin: Hedreich Nichols
- Twitter: @hedreich
- Youtube: Youtube/Hedreich
- Other: Anchor: https://anchor.fm/hedreichhttps://www.amazon.com/stores/Hedreich-Nichols/author/B08R8FLGQV?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
Image Credits
Ethan Yizong Xie Levi Davis