In this Ted Talk, Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz discusses the power of racial literacy development, and why truth, love, and an Archaeology of Self™ are required when educating Black and Brown students. Yoland Sealey-Ruiz, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of English Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research has appeared in several top-tier academic journals. She is co-editor of four books and is co-author of Advancing Racial Literacies in Teacher Education: Activism for Equity in Digital Spaces where she examines her concept of Archeology of Self in education. At Teachers College, she is the founder of the Racial Literacy Roundtables Series where for twelve years, national scholars, teachers, and students facilitate conversations around race and other issues involving diversity. Yolanda appeared in Spike Lee’s “2 Fists Up: We Gon’ Be Alright” (2016), a documentary about the Black Lives Matter movement and the campus protests at Mizzou. Her first full-length collection of poetry, Love from the Vortex & Other Poems, was published in March 2020. Her sophomore book of poetry, The Peace Chronicles, was published in July 2021. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.