On October 9, 2020, I read a post on Facebook written by Brian C. Cadogan II. At the time, he wrote, "I have been in the UAE for two months. The experience has been freeing but I am feeling anxious. An anxiety that I have not felt in a while. A tightness in my chest has had my eyes watery and my mind racing. Physiological I am uneasy. I am fearful. Fearful of returning to the US. You see, here in the UAE my skin color doesn’t matter. I am seen as an American, which is weird because in the USA I am Black first, male, and a close second and somewhere down the line, I may be looked at as an American. Being here in the UAE I feel safe physically and more importantly, mentally. I have not fit the description of someone who has committed a crime. I have not been followed while in the mall. I have not been asked if I was the security in the school I work in. I have not been asked what I’m doing while minding my business."
In this episode, Brian discusses not only his journey as a Black male in Abu Dhabi, UAE, but also his journey as a school counselor in Chicago and Maryland, USA.
BRIEF GUEST BIO:
Brian Cadogan II (he, his) has been a school counselor for 17 years in both middle and high schools. His experiences led him to an international position in Abu Dhabi, UAE where he is the 8th and 9th-grade transitions counselor at a private school. Brian graduated from Hampton University with a Bachelor's degree in psychology and later earned a master's degree in the School of Counseling from Long Island University in New York and a Masters in Educational Leadership and Administration from Northern Illinois University in Illinois.
RESOURCES: Margaret Mead and James Baldwin, A Rap on Race 1971
Youtube: https://youtu.be/3WNO6f7rjE0
SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES:
Email: bcadoganii@gmail.com
IG: pillar_of_the_community
Facebook: Brian Cadogan II
Twitter: @PillarOTC
(A)Broad in Education is produced by Tiffany Lachelle Smith, Music by Reallionaire Jream. You can access Lady Justice on his Post Cards Album on Sound Cloud. Royalty Free Music from Bensound
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