Lisa Delpit

A thirtieth anniversary edition of the landmark work on race, power, and education—repackaged for a new generationSince its original publication, education professor Lisa Delpit’s Other People’s Children has become a foundational text in the struggle for equity in education. Drawing on her experience as a teacher, researcher, and Black woman navigating predominantly white institutions, the MacArthur Award-winning educator offers a searing critique of how power and race operate in the classroom—and how well-intentioned educators often fail the students they most want to help. Delpit’s central insight—that academic struggles among children of color often result from cultural miscommunication, not lack of ability—has transformed the thinking of teachers, administrators, and teacher educators nationwide. With over 300,000 copies sold and awards including the American Educational Studies Association Critics’ Choice and Choice magazine’s Outstanding Academic Book, this classic continues to shape educational conversations across the country. This thirtieth anniversary edition features a new foreword by Christopher Emdin, the New York Times bestselling author of For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood . . . And the Rest of Y’all Too, as well as a new preface by Lisa Delpit reflecting on education reform during the decades since Other People’s Children first exploded on the scene.

An unprecedented, no-holds-barred set of dialogues about race and education from two of the country’s best-known educatorsIn this powerful and deeply personal volume, two luminary educators, generations apart but united by a shared commitment to transformative education, compare notes for the first time. An early recipient of a MacArthur “genius” Award, Lisa Delpit gave us the classic Other People’s Children and has been called “a visionary scholar and reformer” by the Harvard Education School, which awarded her an outstanding alumni award. Christopher Emdin is an award-winning educator whose book For White People Who Teach in the Hood . . . and the Rest of Y’all Too was a national bestseller. He is the creator of the HipHopEd social media movement and has been named one of Root’s 100 Most Influential African Americans and one of twenty-seven people bridging divides in the U.S. by Time magazine. Readers are treated to candid exchanges on topics including the role of art in education, students and politics, how educators of color can navigate the academy, specific approaches to pedagogy, the role of rap in education, and how spirituality informs these two education eminences’ work. With honesty, humor, and hard-won wisdom, they reflect on their own journeys into education, the challenges they’ve faced, and the strategies they’ve developed to uphold equity and justice in a system too often resistant to both. These conversations are not only intellectually rich but emotionally resonant, offering a model of mentorship, mutual respect, and the power of dialogue across difference. A gift to teachers, scholars, and anyone passionate about reimagining public education, this book is a lasting contribution to the field—one that will inspire readers for generations to come.