Conversation with Kamilah Drummond
Fall 2023
Kamilah Drummond, a beloved Alum from TEL’s 2020-21 cohort, is the founder of KDRUMM Consulting LLC. She is a nationally recognized thought leader and consultant in transformative social and emotional learning (tSEL) and equity. She partners with educational institutions and NGOs, offering expertise in strategic planning, program development, and implementation. In all of her roles, she champions the vital link between social and emotional learning (SEL) and social justice.
We are grateful to Kamilah for joining Meena for a TEL Alumni Spotlight conversation. Highlights from their conversation are below.
Celebration and Gratitude
At the time of Kamilah and Meena’s meeting, Kamilah shared that she was in the midst of a period of celebration and gratitude. She was coming into year three of her consulting business, which was “a venture that I stepped into on faith.” She also was about to see the launch of CASEL’s first-ever adult Transformative Social and Emotional Learning (T-SEL) series, which she helped to co-develop in close collaboration with Dr. Bloodline Barthelus from CASEL and was the culmination of a two year contract.
Adult Transformative-SEL
As Kamilah explained, the new CASEL T-SEL adult learning series revolves around the T-SEL focal constructs, including identity, belonging, and cooperative problem-solving. The first five of this six session series focuses on an exploration of participants’ experiences with each of the focal constructs. For example, for the focal construct of identity, participants are invited to consider and reflect on their multiple identities, and how those identities intersect with larger systems of power and privilege. The final session aims to integrate these experiences connected to each of the focal constructs, and empower participants to apply their insights to their work with students and families. The premise of this series is that adult SEL is fundamental to their ability to effectively center the humanity of their students and support students' SEL development.
SEL as an Embodied Practice
Given TEL’s focus on the social and emotional competencies that adults need in order to lead their educational communities, Kamilah expanded on how her TEL experience prepared her for the challenges in her current work. In particular, Kamilah commented that, “within the last three years in particular, I've been using this idea of SEL as an embodied practice because often I've seen a disconnected and externalized approach to this work within the adult community.” As she explained, although there are certainly proven tools and strategies that adults can employ to support this work with students, the true measure of success for this work is the actual embodiment of the competencies we are teaching. If the adults don’t embody these competencies, students will notice that and “it impacts our relationships with our students and the way in which we're able to then impart those skills and ways of being to them.”
Finding One’s Tribe
As Kamilah reflected on her experiences with TEL, she vividly recalled attending the first information session. As Meena and other faculty members described the vision for TEL, she said "In that moment, I felt like I had found my tribe... there was a level of affirmation and confirmation for how I've been thinking about this work over the years..." TEL affirmed Kamilah’s belief that social and emotional learning (SEL) and social justice are inseparable. The vision that was articulated also affirmed Kamilah's belief that all aspects of a person's experience; physical, emotional and spiritual can be used to inform meaningful work within the field. In addition to running her consulting business which centers SEL in service of social justice, she also uses her SEL expertise to inform her work as a lead facilitator with The National SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) Project, where she guides educators from across the globe to confront systemic oppression and power dynamics.
Working With Spirit
Kamilah also described how her spiritual foundation informs her work. She draws from an evolving spiritual life, including Christian traditions, African cosmologies, and “many other ways of knowing and being from a variety of religious, spiritual and cosmic canons." She has created her own way of communing and connecting with a higher source, and this spiritual foundation is “integral to how I approach my work.” Prior to TEL she was a bit hesitant at times to include this aspect of her identity in the professional realm but has since found great freedom in sharing some of these pieces with her participants and encouraging them to reflect on how various aspects of their own identities inform their work with students, families and colleagues. Kamilah states that for too long we have been socialized to compartmentalize ourselves as professionals which limits our ability to see how all aspects of our identities can impact, inform and even bias the ways we do our work.
Her spiritual life enables her to center the humans in the room first, connecting and tuning in to how they are experiencing the content or how they may be struggling with challenges as educators and administrators. She states that, "coming into spaces as the "expert" doesn't create transformational change, rather, I choose to model grace, humility and openness as a facilitator, all of which are grounded in my spiritual practices." She says that she has noticed that this way of being translates to participants feeling seen and heard first as fellow humans, something that many participants have shared is an unexpected but welcomed experience in her workshops. It demonstrates that we can be intentional about leading with love and slowing down just enough to touch each others' spirits in meaningful ways. She ends by saying reflectively, "this work is my ministry...it is a part of my purpose."
New Friends and Life-long Connections
The “life-long connections” that Kamilah formed during her TEL journey have nourished her both personally and professionally. She mentioned how her TEL connections had been instrumental to her work with CASEL and the Sacramento County Office of Education, as she had established relationships with key collaborators such as Mai Xi Lee, a fellow TEL second cohort member (profiled earlier here). Kamilah also spoke of connecting with Sonya Mehta, another TEL second cohort member, who provides professional coaching and was able to coach Kamilah for several months during a critical time of her professional development. She has also been able to refer school districts to Dionne Grayman and her organization to provide circle training, and most recently reached out to another second cohort member Michelle King to participate as a panel member for work Kamilah was doing on Beloved Community. The connections she has made through the TEL experience have been the best part of her TEL journey she says. She says, "the sisterhood with these women have truly nourished me on many levels." In addition, to these specific examples an ongoing source of connection continues to be with the other Black members of TEL's second cohort. "We formed a WhatsApp group so we could continue to support each other via shared resources, professional thought partnerships, and deep friendship."
Practicing for Resilience and Compassion
Kamilah shared her practices for staying resilient and compassionate as an educational leader. She emphasized the importance of daily communing with her ancestors: "I commune with my ancestors all the time... I have pictures of many ancestors and place those pictures on my desk when I am working, sometimes I may even bring their pictures with me in my bag if I am feeling particularly anxious about a presentation. This practice supports my resilience and ability to remain tuned in and focused for my work. I feel their presence, which helps me remember I am not alone." Other critical practices include building a support network of given and chosen family, allowing herself time for rest, reconnecting with music and dance (she actually trained for over 16 years as a professional dancer!) as meditative practices and actively carving time out for daydreaming.
A Community to Hold Our Full Selves
In closing, Kamilah expressed deep gratitude for spaces like TEL that allow individuals to bring their whole selves into their work in the world. She highlighted the importance of spaces that affirm and celebrate the interconnectedness of various aspects of one's identity, spirituality, and purpose. As she concluded, "Having the TEL community, having a space that is intentionally cultivated to hold and embody our full selves is special, and it is needed."