Jeffrey Boakye – I Heard What You Said

Author, broadcaster and journalist Jeffrey Boakye gives a fascinating account of his experience as the only black teacher in a secondary school, as recounted in his book I Heard What You Said. In partnership with the University of Huddersfield.
“Are you really a teacher?” “Can I call you Mr B?” “Can you rap?” “Have you ever been to prison?” “Stephen who?”
Jeffrey Boakye was often the only black boy in his class. And then, after training to become a teacher, he was often teaching the handful of black students, as the only black teacher in the school.
In I Heard What You Said, he recounts how that felt and reports what he has discovered about the underlying habits, presumptions, silences and distortions that underpin the whole British educational system, experienced by black students, and teachers.
Smart and witty, eye-opening and thought-provoking, I Heard What You Said provides an unforgettable insight into racism in modern education and sets out what we can do to change things for the better.
Jeffrey Boakye is an author, broadcaster and educator with a particular interest in issues surrounding education, race, masculinity and popular culture. Originally from Brixton in London, Jeffrey taught English to 11- to 18-year-olds for 15 years. He is the co-host on BBC R4’s Add to Playlist with Cerys Matthews, Senior Teaching Fellow at Manchester Institute of Education and an occasional journalist. He provides CPD and student sessions at schools and universities, and talks for companies.
Jeffrey is the author of five books: Hold Tight: Black masculinity, millennials and the meaning of grime, Black, Listed: Black British culture explored, What is Masculinity? Why does it matter? And other big questions (co-authored with Darren Chetty), Musical Truth: A musical history of modern black Britain in 27 songs and I Heard What You Said; Picador. Two further titles will be published in 2023: Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer and Musical World.