Archaeology of Self™
New book available April 30, 2026
Archaeology of Self is an invitation to dive deep into the heart of teaching and the sacred work of self-awareness.
Archaeology of Self: The Introspective Educator’s Guide to Racial Literacy calls educators—and professionals from all walks of life—to embark on a lifelong journey of racial literacy, healing, and the pursuit of a bias-free existence. Blending personal narrative, poetry, and guided reflection, Archaeology of Self offers both a mirror and a map that takes readers through Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz’s framework for excavating one’s racial identity, confronting internalized bias, and teaching from a place of critical love, justice, and truth.
This is more than a book. It is a living, breathing guide for transformation. Included within are:
-
Lesson plans designed by educators across the country and adaptable for K-12 and beyond.
-
Multimodal resources, including video suggestions, journaling prompts, mindfulness practices, and companion readings.
-
A chapter-themed music playlist that sets the emotional and intellectual tone, inviting deep listening, feeling, and reflection.
At its core, Archaeology of Self: The Introspective Educator’s Guide to Racial Literacy is a blueprint for healing and for the collective reimagining of education as a liberatory and humanizing force.
Get in touch with Dr. Sealey-Ruiz & sign up for book updates
Doing the Work, Digging Deep, & Disrupting Racial Inequity & Bias
Through the Arch of Self LLC, Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz works with businesses, K-12, and Higher Education professionals in a process of digging deep and "peeling back layers" on their life experiences.
Dr. Sealey-Ruiz has conducted professional development workshops with faculty and staff at two and four-year colleges and universities across the U.S. as well as personnel within Departments of Education.
Engaging in the Archaeology of Self™ involves the self-exploration, probing, and understanding of where issues of race and racism live within the individual and how they impact our society.
In education, the process requires that educators personalize race and recognize how it influences their pedagogy.
Specifically related to the field of education, Archaeology of Self™ helps educators and educational leaders understand that their beliefs about students and their communities dictate how much or little they will invest in them.
If teachers and educational leaders believe that a child belongs to a group of people who cannot achieve, they will treat that child as though they are “at risk” and not see their promise.
For me, there is no way around this: the heart and the mind must be examined if we are to move forward in eradicating the inequalities that exist in education for students of color.
In education, the process requires that educators personalize race and recognize how it influences their pedagogy.
Specifically related to the field of education, Archaeology of Self™ helps educators and educational leaders understand that their beliefs about students and their communities dictate how much or little they will invest in them.
If teachers and educational leaders believe that a child belongs to a group of people who cannot achieve, they will treat that child as though they are “at risk” and not see their promise.
For me, there is no way around this: the heart and the mind must be examined if we are to move forward in eradicating the inequalities that exist in education for students of color.
-Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz
The Racial Literacy Development model theorized by Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz
Toward Sustaining Racial Literacy in Teacher Education and the Academy
Individuals who develop racial literacy are able to engage in the necessary personal reflection about their racial beliefs and practices, and teach their students to do the same. Racial literacy in schools includes the ability to read, write about, discuss and interrupt situations and events that are motivated and upheld by racial inequity and bias. Sustaining racial literacy across the lifespan is possible by engaging in an "Arch of Self" - an action-oriented process requiring love, humility, reflection, an understanding of history, and a commitment to working against racial injustice.
Talks & Services Offered
Compelling Keynotes on the critical interplay between racial literacy, culturally responsive education, and the Archaeology of Self™. Dr. Sealey-Ruiz engages her audience in exploring how personal identity and experiences influence our practice.
Keynote Presentations
Transformative workshops that interweave the concepts of Racial Literacy, Culturally Responsive Education, and the Archaeology of Self™. Dr. Sealey-Ruiz guides participants through self-reflection and identity exploration as they move closer to creating more inclusive and responsive environments in their school or workplace.
Workshops
Dr. Sealey-Ruiz shares her expertise during panels discussing Racial Literacy, Urban Education, and Culturally Responsive Education in Teacher Education. Her insights highlight the importance of integrating these frameworks as an approach to improve the educational experiences of students of color in schools and employees of color in the workplace.
Panel Participation
Dr. Sealey-Ruiz expertly guides conversations on anti-racism, education, and their intersections in everyday life. Her thoughtful moderation encourages participants to examine personal and institutional biases and think deeply about how to create environments where business professionals, educators, students, and community members can commit to actionable change toward racial justice.
Racial Literacy Roundtable Dialogues
Testimonials
When I think of the Arch of Self in Education, I compare it to an archeologist who uses various techniques "to dig, uncover, identify, process and record archaeological remains" as part of the excavation process. The same is with teachers, like myself, in education, who use tools and resources such as books, professional development, dialogue and reflection to dig into our preconceived notions about the students and the communities we serve as well as our self as the teacher.
-- SG, Middle School Teacher
Book Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz for Your Business, School, or University
.png)
Partners
