Celebrate the release of

Laboring in the Shadows!

Join Us for the launch of Laboring in the Shadows: Precarity and Promise in Black Youth Work!

Get cozy and dive into an engaging conversation during the virtual Book Release Party for Laboring in the Shadows! This online event is your chance to hear directly from the author, ask questions, and explore the stories behind the book. Whether you're an educator, mentor, program designer, or just curious about the lives unfolded in the pages, this chat is for you. Don't miss out on this exciting first reveal — all from the comfort of your own home!

Advanced Praise for Laboring in the Shadows

"Using rich, descriptive profiles, Bianca Baldridge highlights the unwavering commitment and the structural challenges that youth workers navigate—reminding us of their vital roles in sustaining community and nurturing hope for an anti-racist future." Prudence L. Carter, Brown University

"Bianca Baldridge's sensitive, riveting exposé of the exploitative and essential character of Black youth work offers a fresh take on how neoliberal education continues to reproduce deep racial and class inequalities, and what we can do to change it. Hint: passion and sacrifice are not enough."
Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination

"Bianca Baldridge reminds us of the centrality of youth workers as educational professionals, illuminating the power and generative nature of what they contribute to our economy and society...a stellar contribution.” Gloria Ladson-Billings, Former President, National Academy of Education

"In this beautifully crafted portrait of how youth workers from marginalized backgrounds provide critical labor in nonprofits, Bianca Baldridge brings to life their voices and hopes. Nonprofit labor will never look the same after you have read this book."
Woody Powell, Stanford University