The pervasive use of media and technology among U.S. youth, coupled with a shifting demographic around race, gender, and social class, contrasts sharply with the predominantly white, female teaching force. As media literacy becomes increasingly crucial, the current focus remains limited in scope, and follow a color-blind ideology. There is an urgent need for teacher education programs to integrate critical media literacy (CML) to equip future educators with the tools to guide students in critically analyzing media messages and expressing their own narratives. This study investigates how future teachers engage with CML and explores methods to enhance its instruction. Utilizing the "Education and Film" course as a research site, data were collected from 11 future educators through surveys and written artifacts. Grounded in a practitioner inquiry approach, the study identifies two primary avenues of learning: a) critical self-reflection on media socialization: future teachers engage in self-reflection, recognizing their privileges, unlearning negative societal messages, and cultivating a positive identity. b) unlearning dominant narratives: They actively deconstruct pervasive narratives, including gendered scripts, white saviorism, and the myth of meritocracy. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the importance of teaching practices that foster a community of trust and emphasize the humanity of both educators and students. These findings contribute to the field by highlighting effective strategies for CML instruction, with implications for the development of teacher education curricula that are responsive to the needs of a diverse student population. This study can contribute to the ongoing social justice efforts, anti-racist pedagogy, and media literacy education in teacher education programs, and in different fields that will support marginalized identities while it also educates the teachers from dominant groups.