Dr. Tiffany Russell is an Educational Consultant specializing in curriculum, program and strategic development with a focus on African-centered and multicultural issues. She has worked with many private schools, just like the one she attended. Dr. Russell is currently a contributor on the curriculum guide for The Prep School Negro. 
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The title of my educational autobiography that focused on my time at Blair Academy came to me immediately, Slim Fast, Cowboy Boots, Pear Trees. The title was easy. Reflecting on my experiences as one of a few African American girls in a predominantly white boarding school in the Northeast was much harder to do.
Slim Fast is a metaphor for not fitting in. I was never small enough or athletic enough to be the right kind of “Blair Girl.” Likewise, I never fit into the class structure of the school and Cowboy Boots are meant to be a metaphor for wanting things that I just could not have. Last, Pear Trees refers to my coming of age and love of self that I ultimately found after selecting to read Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. While reading this important text I learned how beautiful I was without apologizing for what I did not have. Instead I learned, and I am still learning, to celebrate what I did possess.
Since graduating from Blair, I have worked with private schools because I know how important it is for students of color to be supported in these environments. And quite frankly, many of these schools are simply not doing enough to listen to the voices of students of color. In my professional life, I have focused on helping schools address their colorblind-ness and listen with an authentic ear to students of color. It is not easy, but is important work.
- Dr. Tiffany Russell
Dr. Tiffany Russell holds a doctorate in Educational Policy Studies/Social Foundations of Education from Georgia State University. She also holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in African American Studies from Temple University.
