Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lucia Reyes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lucia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Well, after working in education for almost two decades, I became painfully aware how Eurocentric and often dry, misleading, and nationalistic our history curriculum is at the secondary level. And by that time, I had gotten very good at curriculum writing and even better at engaging kids in the middle school age group in learning experiences that empowered them. I had also become a mom not too long before Trump became President and I knew that more than ever, all of our kids would need knowledge in order to battle the ignorance and hate headed all our way. So, in 2018 I founded ESTE Publishing in order to sell my own “rebellious history” curriculum. However, in 2021, I decided to quit classroom teaching, after a very emotional and traumatic couple of years for myself, my students, and for so many others out there. There was just so much unmet need amongst us all after returning to campus after distance learning due to COVID-19. And our school district not only insisted on “business as usual,” but the Trump era had given a brazenness to those insisting on upholding white supremacy in schools. It was after that departure that I decided to transform ESTE Publishing into a non-profit- ESTE Inc. My goal is still to sell resources and curriculum that empower youth, educators, families, etc. But now, the funds will be used to open a youth center and maybe someday a community school. The kids and families in east Lancaster deserve better, and so do all of us educators who serve them.

Lucia, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

ESTE Inc. is 100% dedicated to social justice and racial equity within education. Our board consists of five committed, local community members- four of us whom are People of Color, four of us who are or have been classroom teachers, and all five of us are parents. As for working staff, right now ESTE is myself (Lucia), my father Manuel who has been a Chicano activist since the 60s & 70s, and my former student Kiarra assists me. We are truly grass roots and just getting started.

Through ESTE we will offer history, Ethnic Studies, and anti-racism lessons, slideshows, information posters, classroom unit plans, zines, and educator resources. These resources are not meant to be neutral but are offered as tools to combat hate, ignorance, racism and violence. Resources center the stories of Black and Brown People of the Global Majority, especially women, queer & trans folks, the poor, young people, and people with disabilities. As much as possible, we invite educators and guest speakers of color to contribute their stories and expertise, as we did in our “Banned Knowledge” series- a defiant response to book and CRT bans.

Most importantly, ESTE is about the kids. In fact, the majority of our shared resources are rooted in my time spent with middle schoolers. They have inspired and helped me refine my craft as an educator and as a curriculum writer, and without my kiddos, ESTE would not exist. They’ve done more than that, though. The young people whom I have worked with throughout the years have demonstrated the power of knowledge and the incredible potential of an informed and empathetic generation of young people. ESTE is about hope, about doing our part to support youth in creating a safe, inclusive, kind, and thriving world.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

My final few years in education confirmed what I had known at some level my whole career but was not ready to fully accept- the United States school system as it currently exists, is inequitable and it will remain so. There is no changing it. It is designed to fail poor children and children of color. It is designed to punish anyone pushing too hard against the status quo- teachers included. It is designed to reinforce white supremacy norms and capitalism and to make youth compliant. And even though many students do succeed, and dynamic teachers do exist, and progress is possible, overall, the system will remain inequitable for the vast majority of poor children and children of color.

Growing up, I thought that doing well in school was the key to success- just get a good education, go to college, get a good job, you’re all set! But beginning with my time as a youth counselor, I witnessed firsthand how our most vulnerable and disenfranchised youth are intentionally pushed out of schools- in ways both subtle and obvious. Whether it was through the erasure of their culture and history in books, or through the over policing and racially biased zero tolerance policies, kids like my students were constantly being reminded that school was not made for them to thrive.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

When I first started my Instagram account, it was for ESTE Publishing. I had a pretty small following, mainly just other teachers I knew “IRL.” I’d post occasionally and keep in touch with former colleagues and students. But in the winter of 2020, during COVID-19, I changed my handle to the_rebellious_history_teacher and began to use the platform as a space to advocate loudly for my kids and call out social injustice. Distance learning had brought so much school inequity to the surface, and I was hopeful that people were finally starting to pay attention and change would come. Not only that, but the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 following the murder of George Floyd made me wonder if perhaps we’d finally address racism and white supremacy in this country, too. But there was also so much hate and pushback happening, not only in cities all across America, but in my own school, too. I used my IG to voice my insights, thoughts, and experiences on all of these topics. I was vulnerable, and honest and imperfect. But I was also a vet teacher, a woman of color, and a long time advocate for youth and educational justice. So, I had a lot of help to give, too. My online community began to grow little by little and now it’s at 12.8K, which is a lot for me. But more importantly than the number of followers, is who began to follow my page and reach out. I found so many of “my people,” other educators as committed as me, as frustrated as me, doing the same work in their respective communities… it made me feel less alone. And it’s been through these relationships, that I have found so much support for my work through ESTE. So, my advice is be your damn self and center the connections with others. The rest will come.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.esteinc.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_rebellious_history_teacher/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ESTEINC?feature=shared