JOEL I. PLUMMER
Joel I. Plummer earned a B.A. in African and African American Studies, an M.A. in history, and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa at Rutgers University-Newark. He earned a Supervisor of Instruction Certificate through the Rutgers University Graduate School of Education. He has taught African American and U.S. history for more than two decades at the secondary level and currently teaches in the Africana Studies department at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
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In addition to teaching, Joel I. Plummer has worked as a photojournalist for more than a decade. The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Daily Beast, Newsweek, NBC, CBS, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and numerous international media outlets have published his work. He is a product of the Plainfield Public School District in New Jersey, is a member of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., and still lives in Plainfield with his wife, Danielle, and their children, Alexis, Morgan, and Mason.
PROJECTS
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In today's schools, Black children often learn a history that doesn't reflect their reality or heritage. They hear the stories of others repeatedly, while their own legacy remains untold. Black Kid, White School: What They Don’t Teach Your Black Child is the groundbreaking book every Black parent and child needs. Written by Joel I. Plummer, an experienced educator dedicated to empowering Black youth, this book fills critical gaps left by traditional education.​
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Designed for quick and engaging learning, each chapter uses a simple question-and-answer format that makes it easy for busy families to absorb powerful lessons and reclaim their true identity. This book is more than just history—it's a lifeline for Black children facing a society that too often diminishes their worth. It offers essential protection against the psychological harm of racism, providing young Black minds with the confidence, knowledge, and pride necessary to challenge prejudice and thrive.
Black Kid, White School isn't just about what they won't teach your child—it's about giving your child the education they deserve, celebrating who they are, and equipping them to navigate and transform their world.
The unique socio-historical experience of being Black in America has created children with unique educational needs.
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Yet, every day, millions of Black children attend schools that ignore their specific history and culture as they listen to teachers talk about everything except themselves.
Sumo Wrestlers & Supermodels provides parents and teachers of Black children with the tools to ensure Black children's educational, psychological, and emotional needs are met at school.
Parents and teachers will learn how to correct schools' mismatched educational practices and replace them with ones that teach Black children to accurately see who they are, what they are capable of, and to feel empowered to control their futures even in the face of opposition.
THE BLACK ATHLETE READER
An annotated bibliography for the 21st Century Black athlete.
NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE
2020 Abridged Version of the #Blacklivesmatter Photo-documentary
TRANSLUCENT BORDERS: GHANA
#BLACKLIVESMATTER
A multi-year photo-documentary covering the outbreak of protests against police violence, racial vigilante murder, and systemic White supremacy that erupted in the wake of the killings of Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin.
In the summer of 2017, I was invited to travel to Ghana as part of the Translucent Borders (http://www.translucentborders.com) workgroup that operates out of New York University's Global Institute for Advanced Studies. Translucent Borders' focus is on the role of dance and music at physical as well as cultural borders and the role that the arts play in blurring lines between seemingly disparate groups of people.