Teachers of African descent encounter obstacles such as lack of representation, microaggressions, myths and alienation within their profession and have multifaceted experiences that hinder or advance their identity development. Fifteen teachers of African descent from New York City were interviewed. The conceptual framework used for this study integrated critical race theory (CRT) which illuminated class and race discrepancies highlighting the experiences of racial inequity within the lives of students. NVivo 12 was used to code and analyze the data and explore themes. For professional identity the themes were: robust teaching schedule, microaggressions on the job, future prospects post-teaching, teacher mentorship, and pedagogy empowering Black and Brown students. For academic identity the themes were: academic performance through trauma, microaggressions/structural and institutionalized racism in an academic setting, value of education, provided learning experiences/enrichment, and hard work. For personal identity, the themes were: overcoming emotional trauma, community, and culture. The research questions addressed teachers' identity development in the three categories of academic, professional, and academic identity development. The study findings suggested three recommendations for continued study and best practices to help support and nurture this population. Implementation of the recommendations will ensure that the voices of teachers of African descent and their experiences are heard and validated. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]