By: Demico Guy, 11th Grade Senior, mountain island charter, Charlotte, NC I have a few role models in life, some I may never meet and some like my father I see every day. One of my role models influenced me as a student and as a young black man, my black educator. Having a black male educator provided more examples of professionalism, hope, discipline and ambition. He gave me and my peers opportunities to express ourselves, help our community, look professional and he also inspired me to be great. My black male educator was Mr. Moss, an intellectual and extraordinary compassionate man.
The lessons I’ve learned from Mr. Moss are to work hard for yourself and others, always have a plan, never give up and to be proud of yourself without worry of what others think. I met him 6th grade year while sitting in the halls, he was the math teacher and I’ve heard a lot his teaching style. The next year I had him as my math teacher and as a mentor in a program he started at the school call the “Gentlemen’s League”. We met with influential people of the community, volunteered around the school and various functions and my favorite part; dressed to impress every Thursday. He was dedicated to his students, making sure they understood the material and did their best. He would listen to the troubles of his students and cheer for their accomplishments. He built connections with the classes he taught giving refuge to many. I remember one time when what we were learning in class was a little too much for me. I was frustrated and decided to just put my head down on the desk. Mr. Moss saw me with my head down and told me “put your head up…. You can’t learn it laying down.” Slacking was not an option in his class but that toughness made me a better student. I am now 16 and a Junior in high school. I am strong, confident and educated. My dreams never slip from my vision nor does my will power slip away from me. I will continue to carry the lessons I have learned from Mr. Moss and hopefully become a role model to the next generation. In a society that has a negative perception of black men and of people who say they want to do something to change it, but don’t try. It’s great to have someone that leads by example, to show what we as a collective can really be. I encourage more black male educators and congratulate them, for the world and young black men need their image as well as their leadership in our journey for a higher education, as well as through life. By: Jamirious Mooney, 12th Grade Senior, Phillip O'Berry High, Charlotte, NC Growing up in small town, my school was very small. From Pre-K all the way up to my 4th grade year I had encountered female teachers in the classroom, and out of those I’d had 1 female teacher of color and that was my first year when I was a Pre-K student. Going into my 5th grade year I’d found out that I would have a male teacher as my 5th grade teacher and I was so excited to have him as my teacher because he was the first male teacher we’d had at the school besides the music teacher and principal. I was a good student and I enjoyed going to school, I sat in the front of the class instead of the back, I rarely got in trouble and having to be called out was uncommon for me. One day in his class, my friend who sat across from me threw an eraser at me joking around. So I threw it back because my dad told me “if somebody hit you, you hit them back or I’m going to whoop you when you get home” like most parents in the African-American home. Well that day my teacher happened to see the whole incident happen and his solution to the problem was to move me to the back of the class for 2 weeks, desk and all. He then started treating me differently, like I was a troublemaker and couldn't be trusted. I had never encountered that before. So I went home and told my parents. After calling the school and trying to get the problem rectified with no resolve my frustrated mom thought it would be best to pull me out of that school and move me to the big city of Charlotte NC.
I finished 5th grade at Pawtuckett Elementary School where my new teacher was a female educator of color. She impacted me in a lot of ways and we became really close. Once I moved to the 6th grade I realized that my two core teacher were men. I again was excited to try again with the male teachers at my new school. I remember being terribly nervous and excited to meet these men on open house. My first block was English with Dr. Butler, we walked into his room and to my surprise, he was black. I had never met a black man with an Bachelor’s degree before, let alone a Doctorate’s degree. Then we moved on to math with Mr.Moss who was my second block teacher. Again, I was taken aback at the fact that he was black, and these men were intimidating to me. They were tall, and spoke with sharp tones and carried themselves well. They were the teachers who helped me wake up and realize the realities of the world that had been covered up my entire life. In their classrooms I started to realize that the society that we lived in was not set up to have men of color succeed. They taught me that I would have to work harder than my counterpart for the exact same job, respect, and wealth. During the school year I’d taken a special liking to Mr.Moss my math teacher and I spent a lot of time in his classroom. I had noticed that the kids who got in trouble the most, had great relationships with the male teachers because they talked one-on-one with them more often than quiet children like myself. I wanted that kind of relationship with these men, and one day at lunch Mr.Moss had jokingly taken my oatmeal pie. I told him he could have it but he gave it back and told me he couldn’t take it. So that afternoon before we went outside to the track, I slipped it in his lunchbox without telling him. After a couple weeks went by he never mentioned the oatmeal pie, so I wrote him a note on one of our test asking him if he’d gotten it. After that he started speaking to me more and having more conversations with me. I started staying after for “tutoring” every Tuesday and Thursday even though I didn’t need it just to hang out with Mr.Moss. I invited him to church and to Sunday dinners with my family after realizing he didn't have any family in Charlotte. He also started pouring into me more after realizing that I was living in a single parent home without a father. I knew I could count on him whenever I needed him. I started realizing that he didn’t want to just be my teacher, he wanted to make a difference in other kids lives. He and Dr.Butler inspired me so much at that age. Dr.Butler inspired me to work hard to earn your title and not to let anyone tell you you can't. After watching Dr.Butler get arrested and being taken from school for reasons I’m not going to put in this article, he still had the courage and boldness to come back and teach us. Even though it had to be an embarrassment, he knew there was a job that needed to be done in the lives of minority children and he wasn’t going to let anything stop him from doing that job. Mr.Moss taught me so much about giving back and hard work. I watched this man studying and do homework in order to get his Master’s degree while teaching full time, coaching track, football and basketball, serving as our MathCounts coach and founding the Gentlemen’s League. He would tell me that “he could sleep when he is dead” when I asked him about sleep and he lived by that motto. I looked up to him like he was my dad and I would never tell him this but I wanted to be just like him when I grew up. He pushed me to start fixing my relationship with my own dad while stepping in to be a dad to me until that time came, and it was because he knew the struggles of the black community unlike other male teachers who cannot relate the struggles in our community and think just because you yell and fuss and discipline a student, that will make them a better person. Because the truth of the matter is, it takes men of color to go into these schools and teach boys of color how to be exceptional men of color, and when that happens we can break this cycle of fatherless boys, single moms raising children alone, and change this mindset that being a thug and a gangster is how you become successful. You don't need to spit bars and say you can handle being behind bars in order to say you’re making it. It's more than that, It’s about changing the trajectory of our young brother’s lives before this society, media, and world does. Members of the Gents League in Memphis, TN were posed with the following question: "Do you think black males have a positive image in the media and in society? Why or why not?" Some of their responses are below: Javontez Martin, |
| | Today in Memphis, TN the Gentlemen's League at Bellevue Middle School kicked off their Fresh Friday's. Bi-weekly on Fridays gents get "Fresh" and lead by example to their peers. Our motto is if you look good you feel good, and if you feel good you behave good. Fresh Friday's is really an opportunity for our young men to really work to change the perceptions of African-American males in society. The gents strive to use their positive images to overcome obstacles and combat stereotypes. We need to paint the world with more positive images of our young men. |
Often times we hear individuals stating that as educators we have an additional impact on the lives of our students. When we think about the role of Black male educators we have a profound additional impact. Teach For America, an organization that I am a proud alumni of, has a statement about this that says "teachers who share the backgrounds of their students have the potential for profound additional impact." I find this statement to be extremely true in my day to day work flow as an educator in Memphis, TN and Charlotte, NC. Our boys need us!!! They look up to us!!! They respond to us!!! Our boys cannot be, what they cannot see!!! They need to have positive interactions with educated, black males. This is not to say that our boys do not have access to positive male role models at home, but it is imperative that these boys interact with with as well when they go to school each day.
Nationally, Black males comprise of only 2% of all individuals in the education force. We need more males to play an integral role in the lives of our boys. I have seen firsthand, the benefits of being a Black male educator. I currently have the opportunity to serve as the Resident Principal at Bellevue Middle School in Memphis, TN. 92% of the students at my school are African- American. In essence, we have a school filled with black boys. I have developed a relationship with most if not all of the male students at our school. Most of them simply want or desire to have another man to guide them, teach them, or motivate them. I have realized that most of them just want someone to talk to, to hear them out; someone to vent to. I have one student who comes to my office to see me daily. Our first encounter involved his teacher walking him down to me because he was being disruptive and he was being off task. Instead of really getting on him (Like I normally do!) I chose to talk to him and get to know him. I told him to take out his work and begin working in my office. I then realized that he struggled academically on simple multiplication and division. How has this student gotten so far without anyone holding him accountable to learn. I then sat with him and should him a new method to multiply. He instantly understood. From that day forward, this young man comes to see me to check in with me like clockwork. Days in which I am not in my office, he goes on a search to find me. This past week we had Progress Reports and this young man ran to my office to show me his As and Bs, and before I could say anything he told me that he would bring his C up because he knows I would not be happy with a C. To see such improvements in a student in a short period of time is amazing. This is what needs to be happening all across this nation. But what happens to the boys who has teachers who are not pushing them or looking out for them? What happens to the boys who does not have someone at school each day checking on them and making sure they are on track? These are the boys who end up falling through the cracks.
We must do our part to educate, empower, and enrich our boys. This is life or death for them. They have to be successful in school in order to step foot in society as a Black male. There is a stigma behind this identity. I recently had two encounters with single mothers raising black boys that solidified the fact that black boys need black men to help them become gentleman and scholars. One mother came into the office to discuss her excitement that her son was chosen to be a part of the Gents League. She felt the program will give him the leadership and mentorship that he needs to stay on the right path. I then had another mother come up and advocate for her son. She was extremely hard on her son because she wanted him to be better. Both her and her son were in tears because they both wanted the same thing, but had different ways of getting there. The mother stated that she is doing the best she can trying to raise boys. The mother was thrilled when I told her that I would personally mentor her son and be sure he is the success that we know he can be.
These experiences on top of the numerous interactions and stories I have about all my kids back in Charlotte prove the point that we need more black males to intervene int he lives of our black boys. We need you to teach, mentor, support, guide, motivate, challenge our black boys, and ultimately we need you to serve as a mirror for our boys to see where they can be years from now. This work is hard, but it can be down and we need everyone to take ownership for working with our males. We cannot lose them!!!!
Nationally, Black males comprise of only 2% of all individuals in the education force. We need more males to play an integral role in the lives of our boys. I have seen firsthand, the benefits of being a Black male educator. I currently have the opportunity to serve as the Resident Principal at Bellevue Middle School in Memphis, TN. 92% of the students at my school are African- American. In essence, we have a school filled with black boys. I have developed a relationship with most if not all of the male students at our school. Most of them simply want or desire to have another man to guide them, teach them, or motivate them. I have realized that most of them just want someone to talk to, to hear them out; someone to vent to. I have one student who comes to my office to see me daily. Our first encounter involved his teacher walking him down to me because he was being disruptive and he was being off task. Instead of really getting on him (Like I normally do!) I chose to talk to him and get to know him. I told him to take out his work and begin working in my office. I then realized that he struggled academically on simple multiplication and division. How has this student gotten so far without anyone holding him accountable to learn. I then sat with him and should him a new method to multiply. He instantly understood. From that day forward, this young man comes to see me to check in with me like clockwork. Days in which I am not in my office, he goes on a search to find me. This past week we had Progress Reports and this young man ran to my office to show me his As and Bs, and before I could say anything he told me that he would bring his C up because he knows I would not be happy with a C. To see such improvements in a student in a short period of time is amazing. This is what needs to be happening all across this nation. But what happens to the boys who has teachers who are not pushing them or looking out for them? What happens to the boys who does not have someone at school each day checking on them and making sure they are on track? These are the boys who end up falling through the cracks.
We must do our part to educate, empower, and enrich our boys. This is life or death for them. They have to be successful in school in order to step foot in society as a Black male. There is a stigma behind this identity. I recently had two encounters with single mothers raising black boys that solidified the fact that black boys need black men to help them become gentleman and scholars. One mother came into the office to discuss her excitement that her son was chosen to be a part of the Gents League. She felt the program will give him the leadership and mentorship that he needs to stay on the right path. I then had another mother come up and advocate for her son. She was extremely hard on her son because she wanted him to be better. Both her and her son were in tears because they both wanted the same thing, but had different ways of getting there. The mother stated that she is doing the best she can trying to raise boys. The mother was thrilled when I told her that I would personally mentor her son and be sure he is the success that we know he can be.
These experiences on top of the numerous interactions and stories I have about all my kids back in Charlotte prove the point that we need more black males to intervene int he lives of our black boys. We need you to teach, mentor, support, guide, motivate, challenge our black boys, and ultimately we need you to serve as a mirror for our boys to see where they can be years from now. This work is hard, but it can be down and we need everyone to take ownership for working with our males. We cannot lose them!!!!
Mr. Demico Guy is a 9th Grade Student in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. He was a proud member of the Gentlemen's League at Whitewater Middle School.
What does it mean to be a black male? Well it means the same as being a male of any race, respect yourself, and respect others, and take responsibility for your actions. It is the black male that is judged and prosecuted even at a young age. We are seen in society as being lazy, savage, and uneducated. Many believe we are only good for entertainment and that we can’t be doctors, lawyers, and educators. Even If you were to become one then you’re seen as a "sellout" or "acting white". It doesn’t take white skin to be successful, but the determination and hard work of the man. We have to ignore what society expects from us and create our own expectations. We must create our own future not just as individuals but also as a race. All lives matter whether you are black, white or Hispanic .Do not let police brutality, gang banging or any other form of violence of our race make you think you are less or that we are nothing.
When you see or hear of an injustice act brought upon a black man don’t look at it as a white man vs. a black man but as one man did wrong and one did right. We are a strong people, we have come from the slave ships to the White House. We have the intelligence and strength to be better than what society wants us to be, we just have to work harder to get there.
When you see or hear of an injustice act brought upon a black man don’t look at it as a white man vs. a black man but as one man did wrong and one did right. We are a strong people, we have come from the slave ships to the White House. We have the intelligence and strength to be better than what society wants us to be, we just have to work harder to get there.
By: Jamirious Mooney, 10th grade student
15 years of living, 10 of thinking I had the same chances as all of my peers, that nothing was
different about me. 5 of knowing that I am different from all of my peers, that if I want to be successful I
have to work harder than those of lighter skin. It means that I have to be stereotyped because of some
poor choices people of my color made. It means that no matter how much I try to dress, look, or dress
like a good person I still face the side-eye from people, the oh, your dad must be a pastor, or feeling
different because rap isn’t my favorite music and I don’t walk around with my pants sagging. This is what
it means to a black male in America.
You know what I don’t get, when we fill out any type of document why does it say African
American. Why can’t it just say American? I always struggle with that. It’s like this, I go to an interracial
Church and there I feel welcome like there is nothing different about us, it’s like we are all blind to color.
But when I step outside those church walls, all I see is color. I don’t feel like I can trust Police officers
when I know all of them aren’t bad. I get my licenses in 5 months and I am TERRIFIED of being stopped
by the police. I don’t think it should be that way, I don’t think that I should always have to be looking
over my shoulder in fear of the lighter skin.
In my honest opinion I feel like all of our bodies should be flipped inside out. Because in reality,
my heart beats like everyone else, just like my eyes blink, and arms move, and lungs inhale and exhale
just the same. Maybe in order to get this society back on track we all need to be color blind. Because the
issue seems to be color and in all honesty, for what?
different about me. 5 of knowing that I am different from all of my peers, that if I want to be successful I
have to work harder than those of lighter skin. It means that I have to be stereotyped because of some
poor choices people of my color made. It means that no matter how much I try to dress, look, or dress
like a good person I still face the side-eye from people, the oh, your dad must be a pastor, or feeling
different because rap isn’t my favorite music and I don’t walk around with my pants sagging. This is what
it means to a black male in America.
You know what I don’t get, when we fill out any type of document why does it say African
American. Why can’t it just say American? I always struggle with that. It’s like this, I go to an interracial
Church and there I feel welcome like there is nothing different about us, it’s like we are all blind to color.
But when I step outside those church walls, all I see is color. I don’t feel like I can trust Police officers
when I know all of them aren’t bad. I get my licenses in 5 months and I am TERRIFIED of being stopped
by the police. I don’t think it should be that way, I don’t think that I should always have to be looking
over my shoulder in fear of the lighter skin.
In my honest opinion I feel like all of our bodies should be flipped inside out. Because in reality,
my heart beats like everyone else, just like my eyes blink, and arms move, and lungs inhale and exhale
just the same. Maybe in order to get this society back on track we all need to be color blind. Because the
issue seems to be color and in all honesty, for what?
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