We recently connected with Dr. Ellenita Blanton and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Ellenita, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
I have experienced this scenario on many levels in my journey. The annunciation of my name suggests that I am not African-American; therefore, after submitting my resume or vitae,. I have been invited to attend interviews and events via email, phone, etc., only to witness visual shock or confusion when I entered the room. I had to equip myself to change the narrative without responding to the awkwardness presented. I became a connoisseur of body language and presentation. As a woman of color, I must be aware of how I tilt my head, hold my hands, or even the tone or annotation of my voice. Once I became aware of the importance of projection and reflection in positivity, I could walk into any room with confidence and authority. To walk confidently means I have the skills, experience, and ability to converse with anyone. To walk with authority means the custodian is just as essential and time-worthy of me as the company’s CEO. I take time to converse with everyone as I enter the room. I did not understand how my gait was viewed until three years after graduation. After my first Masters as an alumnus, I attended the homecoming of Fayetteville State University. The then-alumni director stated she saw me walking across the campus. I asked how she knew it was me. She replied, “I would recognize that walk anywhere.”
The only person who can make you feel less is you!
Navigating spaces where I am the only African American woman has been a significant part of my personal and professional journey. It’s not always easy, but I’ve learned to turn these situations into opportunities for growth and impact.
First, I’ve embraced the value of my unique perspective. Being the only one in the room who looks like me means I bring experiences, insights, and ideas that others might not have considered. I’ve learned to see this as a strength rather than a barrier, and I make it a point to speak up and contribute, knowing that my voice is valuable and needed.
Second, I’ve built resilience by being my own advocate. I’ve faced moments of doubt or discomfort, but I’ve learned to trust my abilities and stand firm in my knowledge and skills. Mentors and allies have been crucial; connecting with others who have faced similar challenges has given me guidance, support, and inspiration to keep pushing forward.
Additionally, I’ve prioritized continuous learning and growth. I’ve focused on honing my skills, staying informed, and being prepared. Being the only one in the room can feel isolating, but it’s also an opportunity to shine and set an example for others who might come after me.
Finally, I remind myself of the bigger picture. Every time I walk into a room where I’m the only one who looks like me, I remember that my presence can help pave the way for more diversity and inclusion in the future. I carry the legacy of those who fought to open doors and strive to keep those doors open more comprehensively for the next generation.
Being the only one in the room isn’t easy, but it has taught me to be bold, intentional, and unapologetically myself.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am often amazed at where my life’s journey has taken me. I have always wanted to work with students with academic challenges and behavior concerns. I genuinely believe that all students can and will learn. The obstacle is that not everyone learns in the same way. When students can uncover their learning process, they have no academic limits. Unfortunately, a mathematician’s formulas or educational theory will not provide this information. The secret has never been hidden. A successful academic journey foundation is communication and collaboration with the student; developing a relationship of respect and trust leads to the student reaching and exceeding academic expectations. I have worked with students ranging from autistic to academically gifted from elementary to college. My soul has landed on students in the latter years of their journey- middle school through college to focus on.
2024 has been my “new beginning” for my brand. After working with “J-Cole’s Dreamville Book Club in its initial stages, I realized the effect of being able to use novels that students could relate to, along with a literary-focused discussion and written reflections. A non-reading student can increase reading, vocabulary, and comprehension ability. Bootz2Bookz.com was developed to provide students nationwide with the opportunity to provide a “non-reader” the opportunity to explore and find the ” book they can’t live without.” Bootz2Bookz allows one to explore characters, cultures, and experiences related to everyday millennium life.
Bootz2Bookz will be launched in September 2024 with the addition of PBIS (Positive Behavior Instructional Support) and SEL (Social Emotional Learning) components. An Amazon wishlist was developed for donations from students who want to participate but cannot purchase their books. The novels are presented in digital, audio, and print for all learning formats. Every semester, 15 to 20 students are financially unable to purchase their books. To assist with donations, an Amazon Wish List was created to purchase novels for the participants. Every donation is valued and needed …one book is as vital as five
The Amazon link is :
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1GBS1ON8PMGCM?ref=cm_sw_em_r_un_un_XjfjndbgLDcQ0
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Knowledge is a powerful, often misunderstood word. My journey started as a student who was told not to pursue higher education. I was raised in a family that encouraged my sisters and me to get every degree offered and be qualified for all positions in our field. I didn’t understand this request from my parents until the last ten years of my life. I have enjoyed sitting on interview panels, job description development, reorganizations, and downsizing committees. Through those experiences, I learned the importance of having an “add-on” certificate versus completing a degree in a content area. That said, the first quality I would recommend is – humility/listening, which is more powerful than talking.
I have found that everyone wants to talk about themselves, but no one listens. Each of us can learn from another regardless of one’s organizational status. I present myself as approachable and jovial when going to a new organization. You only have one time to make an “impression.” If you are talking over others in the conversation or have visited or experienced everything discussed, you are in the wrong circle of associates. You are now viewed as “unapproachable” and “all-knowing.” Both of these characteristics project negative and difficult interactions from the start. I recently attended a venue where two new employees were onboarded and introduced to the faculty and staff during a luncheon. The current employee (secretary) embraced the new staff ( director). One of the current employees wanted to find the commonality between one of the new employees and the staff. The new staff member immediately responded, “I do not mix my personal life with my professional life.” The secretary is the person who processes all paperwork, answers the phone, contacts cases, and many other duties. That one response could be the initial scare in creating an “irreparable relationship.”
The second quality I would recommend is collaboration/networking. In today’s career expectations, it is almost impossible to mention collaboration without also mentioning networking. The ability to collaborate effectively has been a cornerstone of my professional development. Education is inherently a collaborative endeavor; we work with students, parents, colleagues, and the broader community to create environments where learning can thrive. Collaboration goes beyond merely working alongside others—it requires active listening, valuing diverse perspectives, and co-creating solutions.
My most rewarding experiences as an educator have come from team-based initiatives—whether co-designing a new curriculum, participating in interdisciplinary teaching, or working on school-wide improvement projects. Collaboration allows us to pool our strengths, learn from each other, and tackle challenges that would be insurmountable alone. It’s also a powerful tool for personal growth, as working closely with others exposes you to different approaches and ways of thinking.
For those early in their journey, my advice is to seek out collaborative opportunities. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback, offer your support on projects, or even co-teach a lesson with a colleague. Practice open communication and be willing to share your successes and failures. Effective collaboration requires humility and the recognition that we all have something valuable to contribute. Cultivating this skill means developing the ability to both lead and follow, knowing when to offer ideas and when to listen.
Resilience
Webster defines resilience as the capacity to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties, toughness, the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape, and elasticity. Reflecting on my life, I see that every time I felt I could not take another step, I would go through a form of depression that led to moments of surrender. My level of surrender allowed me to regain the strength or fortitude to try one more time. I found that by “embracing the pain, setback, or situation, I was actually “resetting my brain and emotions” to dig deeper. That “deeper dig” grew and became stronger over time, with the surrendering options decreasing. The surrendered options manifested in affirmations and journaling. My resilience became a visual map I used to understand why I was or was not progressing. I place “post-it” notes on my bathroom mirror to remind me when I didn’t have the mental strength to move forward. I worked hard with affirmations and a vision board to find or redefine me. My affirmations and scriptures were colorized. I would have light feelings in one color, reactions in another color, and positive outcomes in a different hue. At this season of my life, I was doing and giving more than I received emotionally and mentally.
I decided I wasn’t getting out of bed one cold winter morning three years ago. I lay there, staring at the ceiling. I started drawing images in the air, which progressed to drawing on the back of an empty envelope on my nightstand (to this day, I still visualize and plan on the back of envelopes). I invested in a 500-page journal. I started my one-year, three-year, and five-year visions, which I revisit every New Year’s Eve.
Vision boards or affirmations can keep you uplifted and moving when “life starts life-ing.” , yet you and only you have to do the work. You have to find a purpose, a goal, a reason to force you to see and feel beyond what is in front of you. When I experienced my lowest point, otherwise known as depression, I knew that a drastic and physical change was required. The wings of my father were first (the weekend before Father’s Day). My father was in the Veterans Hospital, three blocks from my house. He was unable to walk due to the effects of diabetes on his body after three tours to Vietnam. At the same time, my mother was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia one year before my father was hospitalized. At the time, I lived three blocks away from his hospital, two of my sisters lived two hours away, and my other sister lived in another state. I kept my mother at home, working with a day nurse for 18 months. I was still attending school and seeing my father, at least once every day For the next three years, my life socially plummeted to a rigid routine; I would do it all over again and again asI became the “caregiver.” of my parents due to proximity. To this day, if asked to do it again, I would without hesitation.
One thing that I learned and constantly share with those who are currently caregivers is, “Remember to take time for yourself.” I mentioned the rigid schedule of doctor’s appointments, uncontrollable behaviors from parents, allowing others to assist that were never consistent, and the need to make sure they were correctly bathed, clothed, and fed, which became a task on the daily checklist. Unexpectedly, my younger sister obtained her wings after taking our mother to get a “manni and pedi” for a weekend trip to visit my other younger sister in another state (the weekend before my birthday). Followed by my mother getting her wings two years later (the weekend before Mother’s Day). The significance of my mother passed away left me in a daze. I felt like I was in a dream and nothing was real. Two weeks prior, I had come home to the first floor of my home flooded with three inches of water from a broken water heater. I was balancing my time between caregiver, work, attending school, and maunvering insurance agents. I was adjusting as “life was lyfing”. The Saturday evening before my Mother got her wings, we ( my Mother and I) pressed the send button for Chapter Two of my dissertation. My bright, colorful tapestry of family support suddenly crumbled into unrecognizable, detached remnants of memories that spawned me into a whirlwind of questions, depression, isolation, and disbelief. Within three weeks after my mother’s celebration of life, I had moved out of and rented my house of eleven years and leased an apartment three hours away with a new job. I had too many memories in that house to stay. I saw my mother coming down the stairs. I saw my sister and father sitting in the living room. For two weeks after my mother passed, I was still calling the nursing home at 7 AM, 11 AM, 3:30 PM, and 9:00 PM, keeping my rigid schedule of checking on her. The nursing home contacted my sisters, and they, in return, contacted a grief counselor who recommended therapy.
This year was the first time I did not cry on Father’s and Mother’s Day. I wrote letters instead to my parents to express my love and gratitude for the standards and internal switches they nurtured and developed in me over the years. Unfortunately, it was not until I was older that I realized the actual effect of discipline and education when pursuing one’s goals. You must understand that the journey, process, and procedure are the key elements to creating the outcome, product, or conclusion. Everyone cannot endure or survive the process, hence the reason YOU are different. YOU have been selected for this task. Others have attempted it, and even more have tried it, yet YOU are the ONE that will COMPLETE IT! Take time to understand that you will be traveling for most of this journey in isolation. The circle you started with will significantly reduce as you learn more about yourself and your destiny. Don’t be afraid; embrace the moments to love and build yourself for what will come! Humble yourself to receive correction and guidance.
While in the last stages of my dissertation, my chair, Dr. Prince Bull (Dean of Education – Garner-Webb University), asked me if I would consider graduating with an Ed.S and forfeit my goal of being Dr. Blanton after struggling to write Chapter 4 of my dissertation. Initially, I was insulted by the gesture. Was he suggesting I did not have what it would take to complete the doctorate requirements? After removing my emotional response, I understood the depth of the question in terms of my resilience. The translation of the question was, Are you willing to continue the multiple revisions, the APA checks and balances, the still-to-come changes to your manuscript, the long nights, sleep deprivation, and the ability to stand and support your research without hesitation or default? My response was NO! I want to finish what I started.
On September 20, 2023, when I defended my dissertation, I had come full circle. I understood that the definition of resilience in words has little meaning in life. No one can predict or imagine what you will experience in life to obtain or gain your goal. Everyone has a purpose or assignment in life. You must know that your purpose or assignment is not about you but about those you will help, encourage, support, or enlighten through your journey as you reach your destiny. You are a beacon of life; continue to shine!
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents were considered “strict.” My sisters and I were prohibited from venturing outside the house in pajamas or hair rollers. We each had chores that had to be completed daily. We worked every summer in the Sampson County fields of tobacco and blueberries to earn money for clothes and to attend events like the Seven Gables Skating Ring on Saturday night. The most important and, to this day, most amazing daily event was sitting at the table for family dinner for social-emotional check-in and current events discussions. My parents wanted my sisters and me to be aware of the world around us. To this day, my sisters and I debate world issues and share global information through social media that often alludes to primetime news.
Both my parents emphasized the importance of “service.” My mother, a “missionary,” would give clothes, food, school supplies, and many other items to the surrounding neighborhoods. My father served as a Sampson County Commissioner for fifteen years, only being opposed once. He was in the army, volunteered as an EMT, and created “The Psychedelic Shack” ( a safe environment for the youth in the surrounding area to gather on weekends). I watched my father go into local stores at Christmas and pay off the layaways of customers whose Christmas items were about to be returned to the shelves. I watched my parents go to the “hangout corners” and pass out five-dollar bills or give envelopes to the senior citizens at our local church because they felt everyone should have joy in their hearts on Christmas morning. To the average person, we tend to overlook the elderly, homeless, or needy. I was taught that you never know when or where you may be entertaining an angel; therefore, you should be kind to everyone at whatever stage they are in life.
My profession is not glamorized or acknowledged in many venues. My training is unique. I am certified in 5 of the 14 areas of disabilities. I have worked as an effective Literacy Coach (k-12). I served as a Literacy Coach in urban districts, creating school teams of low-performing schools, leading to advanced academic status for state rating. I observe how an individual learns the curriculum and review assessment data to analyze and show the student/teacher how to expand their knowledge by teaching accommodations to adapt what is presented academically for the highest level of comprehension. I provide a “service” to the students, teachers, and parents of the most vulnerable population, regardless of age. I work with early and middle college students with exceptional needs in dual high school programs daily. These students are extremely talented and excited about what they can and will contribute to the world. The dual programs allow students to complete post-secondary classes (academics or certification) while enrolled in high school. Both sites are considered specialty schools with supportive and nurturing staff.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bootz2bookz.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Bootz2Bookz-Book-Club/61562270798434/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ellenita-blanton-77a2b552?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3Bcg7xR7mKT2WU%2Bk47G8%2FsdQ%3D%3D
- Other: drellenitablanton@gmail.combootz2bookz@gmail.com
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