In 2004 I wrote an article titled “Let’s Bridge the Gap” in which I described my experience as one of
very few African-American students in the Child Development department at SDSU. In this article, I
asked the question: Are professional organizations like SDAEYC reaching the black community?
I believe that the extremely low number of African Americans seeking higher education in the field
of child development and early childhood education, directly results in the underrepresentation of
African Africans in positions of leadership, within this profession.

As the new chair of the Committee for Social Change, I am committed to providing educational
opportunities about diversity for members of the ECE community. In addition to that, I intend to
make sure that SDAEYC embraces the community of African American and other ethnic-minority
early childhood educators. This includes exploring the reasons for the under-representation of
minority leadership in the ECE field and strategizing as to how to increase the number of minority
leadership positions. This is a critical issue for the profession as well as for the children it serves.
The Committee for Social Change needs to attempt to ‘change’ the look of the early childhood
community.

As I stated in my previous article, my vision is a trickle-down effect. More minority child
development professors and mentors may lead to more minority students, which may lead to
more minority administrators, preschool teachers, and parent educators. Parent education results
in more positive experiences for all children. When I wrote that article in 2004, I did not know that
10 years earlier, a more extensive article on this subject was written by the National Black Child
Development Institute in the May 1994 issue of “Young Children”. It states: “The challenges facing
this nation demand sophisticated, informed, and diverse leaders reflective of all our children,
families, and communities. This sums up my thoughts quite nicely.

For the love of all children,

Michelle DeJohnette

Chair, Committee for Social Change