Excerpts from abstract

This reflexive paper explores the process of engaging Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) within communities of practice (CoPs). The author contemplates the use of feminist theories such as Black feminist thought to complexify the discourse on the professionalism of ECEs. This paper addresses possibilities of using Black feminist thought to amplify voices and lived experiences of marginalized women while underscoring their uniquely relevant perspective, capacity, and right to contribute to a CoP. The author advocates re-envisioning CoPs as spaces of resistance where marginalized voices are heard and embodied, lived experiences are valued, and possibilities emerge to resist and interrupt the oppression faced by all ECEs within a professionalism discourse.