By Kiara Timo
After years of working in the field of education and using her well-earned Ph.D. as an education consultant, Dr. LaNysha Adams has released a self-help book that dissects what it means to be empowered. What does empowerment look and feel like? How does one obtain it?
Through thoughtful examination and a breakdown of the linguistics surrounding the buzzword, Dr. LaNysha provides an insightful guide on appreciating our inner strengths and embracing the experiences that may have caused us to question ourselves.
With hopes of guiding parents, educators, and healthcare professionals, Dr. LaNysha’s mission is to assist those in positions of authority to truly understand the meaning of empowerment.
You own an education consulting company called Edlinguist Solutions. What led you down that career path?
I had been teaching English to speakers of other languages at the high school level and always had side jobs doing assessment work. I did that for about ten years. After teaching, I started to work at a district level and got a Ph.d. I thought I could support the public school system as an outside person.
Was there a pattern of behavior you were seeing as a consultant that inspired you to write a book about empowerment?
People ask me, “If you want to help somebody do something they don’t believe they can do, what can you provide them? What can you do to help someone believe they have what it takes inside?”
Typically, we call that empowerment or empowering someone else so they can feel the fortitude to keep moving forward when they encounter obstacles, but that word isn’t what we think it means. The definition is the action or act of empowering someone, granting them the power or authority to do something, but who is granting that?
In education, we throw this word around a lot. We want to empower students and help them achieve something that’s only in them. That led me to look at the word and unpack what it means. I did a lot of linguistic analysis for the first couple of chapters to examine the language we are using. Are we being precise? I was able to flip the prefix –em, which means in or into, and flip it around to “me,” which gets us more into a process that requires you to dig deep to see how to get what you need. I don’t think I can empower another human; I can create conditions to help them, but empowerment is from within, and that’s the “Me Power.”
You spoke about a professor who negatively impacted your sense of empowerment and whose blatant racism almost completely discouraged you from pursuing your Ph.D. How did you overcome that experience, and how long did it take?
We know the power of language is pervasive. That’s what happened. I was narrow in my thinking aboutgetting my degree because I needed it to get a job as a professor.
I don’t have a family of professors. Most of my family didn’t even graduate from college–they didn’t go to college. So, I don’t have a lineage of folks to give insight into that universe. So, when they said, “I don’t want you here because it’s not for you – it’s not for people like you,” it took me aback. I was in my twenties, I was living in New York, and I couldn’t afford to say or think – I don’t know what to do – so instead of focusing on school, I put all my energy into work where I could have something measurable to say I produced these products. I did this. I got this job.
I needed a sense of strength because I was looking for it from the outside. It took three years for me to move on from the rejection of that Ph.D. program. It took time to shift my energy to focus on my internal power– the ultimate power move.
It’s painfully familiar for Black women to experience microaggressions and racism in their education and careers, which is a topic you discuss in your introduction. Do you have advice for those who struggle to find their “Me Power” in real-time?
It’s very important to remember who you are. If you are ever encountering a situation you can’t control, I have five principles of “Me Power:” 1. Embrace your barriers, 2. focus on your strengths, 3. speak for your life, 4. choose your guides, and 5. ritualize your reflection.
It has nothing to do with you. It took me two years to realize that in my situation and a year to work through it. I couldn’t see how that one person’s action against me wasn’t personal. This is their belief. This is what they do. That is not something I can control. But I can look at that environment and realize that is not the right setting for me.
I’d also love to talk about your cover art. It feels very inclusive, and it’s important to note that empowerment may not look the same for everyone. How is that addressed in your book?
We often don’t talk about ableism or how some groups have it easier than others based on a variety of factors. We live in an ableist culture. If we aren’t thinking about the limitations of life, how are those people empowered?
What makes you feel the most empowered at this point in your life?
It’s the communities that I tap into because life can be overwhelming while trying to figure out the balance between work and mommy-ing, and wife-ing. I think of community more broadly. I have family and a network that I’m tight with, so that helps me feel empowered.
Dr. LaNysha’s book “Me Power” is available in bookstores, electronically, and most major retailers. You can follow her on Instagram at @edlinguist and stay updated with her latest information at LaNysha.com.
