Teacher Tales #27 – The power of words to authorize our worthiness, inform identity and create connection points of impact – Dr. Malik Boykin (a.k.a. Malik Starx) professor at Brown University, researcher and hip-hop artist

In this episode, we have the great pleasure and honor of meeting Dr. Malik Boykin, the first Black professor in the Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Science at Brown University. Dr. Boykin studies discrimination and the psychological impact of it. He also teaches a popular course on stigma and prejudice. Through his research as a professor as well as his experiences as a Black man and hip-hop artist, he has discovered the power of words and stories. Once told by teachers and a guidance counselor in high school that he would not amount to much in life, Malik tells us that he learned that he had to look in the mirror and  “authorize” his worthiness in this world. He says that we need to walk away from labels, limitations and lies and become the authors of our own life stories. We cannot let others define us or write our story and plot the course of our life. He reminds us that, as teachers, we have the power of words to “authorize” our students in order to create connection points of meaningful impact. Influenced by the powerful words of Maya Angelou, Malik has authored two hip-hop songs, Dancing for Freedom, and Still I Rise that have gone viral on TikTok. Check them out here and connect with Malik through social media on Instagram @starxmalik and TikTok, FB @malikstarx   To learn more about Malik, go to https://www.malikstarx.com/   Be sure to check out Boykin Research Lab  https://www.boykinlab.com/  Shout out to Kizzy Parks and her podcast Essential Life Skills for You! for the nomination.