Malandela Zulu's Palette of Resilience

Photo credit: Photo courtesy of Malandela Zulu on Instagram (@zulu_soul)

By B.A.D. TCHR

The palette of colors from which art teacher Malandela Zulu paints is dominated by primary hues of red, and the somber yellowish aftermath of violence on concrete inevitably leaves him with the blues.

Zulu is an art teacher at KIPP College Preparatory High School in the District of Columbia and the son of one of the nation's most revolutionary educators. His KIPP experience has been a complex mix of joy, determination, and profound sadness.

"Four years ago, I experienced a heart-wrenching moment when one of my students was fatally stabbed and passed away in my arms at a subway station. It deeply affected me, although I initially suppressed the emotional impact, as I tend to keep pushing forward."

His ability to show up and be his best while navigating residual trauma suffered tremendously when he saw another student bleed to death after being stabbed.

"[That] incident shattered me. It was a turning point that led me to seek therapy. The trauma I've witnessed, from horrifying student fights to tragic murders, has inflicted deep wounds."

Witnessing such violence affected his mental well-being and seriously jeopardized his authenticity. Painting has been a salve, but like Erykah Badu, he is an artist who's "sensitive about his shit."

For Malandela, painting extends beyond "Ars gratia artis" or art for art's sake. Instead, it's a therapeutic tool—a healing mechanism where his emotions manifest on canvas.

"I have to paint with energy."

Malandela's father is Baba Zulu, a freedom rider who, alongside Stokely Carmichael, formed the Student Non-violent Coordinated Committee circa the '60s. His father's unwavering belief in the importance of African people, particularly in education, inspired him.

"My father had strong feelings about African people, especially in education." When his father's contemporaries "chose to take the political route," his dad opened a school where his mother worked as a teacher, "starting my path in education," he said.

His students have grown increasingly distrustful of the system, and many openly doubt teachers' sincerity and commitment.

"Over the years, everything about teaching has changed, from how they act and react to the teachers who show up. A lot of them are for the check. Everything is just deteriorating. There are only a few teachers that I've seen who really care about the kids."

Despite his reputation, they question him, too. "Year after year, students ask me if I am quitting after they graduate," he said.

"Because I actually give a fuck," his response is always, "Nah, because I have to help out the next group of kids coming up."

He believes they trust he's genuine.

"Students know who cares about them. I don't want to see them dead, to hear they have been locked up but that they are successful, thriving, traveling, creating, building their families, being positive and righteous in whatever good thing they choose to do," he said.

His BRILLIANCE and DEDICATION exemplify the fucks he gives about his students, and those fucks extend far beyond the realm of lines, shapes, forms, and colors. He encourages young artists to use their artwork to tell stories, helping them passionately connect with their history and heritage.

Central to Zulu's educational philosophy is the importance of cultural identity. Despite the heinous violence he's observed firsthand, he's troubled explicitly by how the media continue to portray warped truths routinely associated with violence, fighting, and drug use among Black people in America.

He intends to shift that narrative through art.

"If that's all they see and believe, they will continue to live in the loop of distorted truth," he asserted.

His faith in his students and the healing power of therapy help him find solace and renewal. One of his recent masterpieces, "Get My Mind Right," captures a captivating blend of colors. The art's brightness and vibrancy are stark contrasts to the shadows that haunt him, powerful reminders of the restorative nature of healing and the inherent hope within.