When Horace Ryans III spoke on a panel at the 2nd annual Black Men in Education Convening in 2016, he never imagined that it would influence the trajectory of his life. Ryans accepted the invitation extended by a close friend and committed to speaking at the event. Having grown up in Southwest Philly, Ryans shared his experiences as a young Black male in the Philadelphia school system, however, he had no idea the convening was such a “big deal” until much later. 

He recalled meeting Sharif El-Mekki, who would eventually become the founder and CEO of the Center for Black Educator Development, “I just met this guy. This guy with a salt and pepper beard. He looked like he came out of my grandmother’s photo album…And I’m like, who is this dude? Who is this Panther-esq looking figure that’s approaching me? And he’s smiling ear to ear. And this is my first time in a space with so many Black male educators and it was shocking for me.”

At 16, Ryans was only beginning to consider the possibilities for his future and was not sure if he wanted to pursue education as a career. However, the internships and job opportunities that came his way were centered in education, so he decided to see where it took him. Fast forward to 2024, Ryans is now a researcher and recent graduate of Morehouse College with a degree in Sociology, minoring in Education. “The Center has been integral to my development as a Black male educator and scholar in the work that I do.”

After speaking at the convening in 2016, Ryans went on to participate in all programs offered as a result of the convening or through the Center, the first being Mbongi while still attending high school. Mbongi is a word in the Kikongo language that means “learning place” or where people come together to resolve a community problem. For him it was a “coming together of young people” where “we learned about the history of Black education and social justice all at the same time”. 

Upon entering his first year of college, Ryans transitioned to a Junior Servant Leader or what he considered a teacher’s apprenticeship while “entering the pseudo professional teacher space”. He went on to receive a Black Male Educator Fellowship that provided financial assistance for his college education. Now that his time at Morehouse is complete, he is eager to return to Philly and “get back to the Center” before pursuing his graduate studies. 

…sometimes recruiting Black youth to become teachers is like recruiting someone to return to the scene of the crime. A crime committed against themselves.

El-Mekki states that anti-black racism such as the underfunding of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), the Black-white wealth gap where the cost of college continues to go up but the income for most Black households doesn’t, lower salaries and the isolation that teachers routinely face contribute to the lack of Black teachers.

Another crucial component is how students experience school themselves. El-Mekki remarked that his good friend, Dr. Christopher Emdin, “…talks about [how] sometimes recruiting Black youth to become teachers is like recruiting someone to return to the scene of the crime. A crime committed against themselves.” 

While there are systemic and psychological factors that contribute to the lack of Black teachers, El-Mekki relates that there are also practical barriers, including the pay differential of teachers compared to the investment received from other professions. High debt and a low salary coupled with the circumstances that many Black families face in relying on certain individuals to be the primary provider for multiple households can affect what path they choose to travel, regardless of their passion or desire to benefit their community. 

Although there are several factors that keep the number of Black teachers low, El-Mekki insists that education is important to the Black community. “Dr. Ivory Toldson did research and showed that [for] Black men who attend HBCUs, education is in their top career choices. And we know that Black people with degrees…they are in teaching more than any other profession…And when you look at how many Black people are adjacent to schools and districts; social workers, counselors, behavior therapists…coaches, Black people are intricately interwoven in the fabric of education. And it’s always been that way. We’ve always held education in high regard despite the [false] narratives that claim the opposite.”

TEACHING AS ACTIVISM

El-Mekki, who initially considered pursuing a career in law, was introduced to teaching by Dr. Martin Ryder, a veteran educator in Philly who would later become one of his mentors. They met on multiple occasions which left a lasting impression and solidified his future in educational instruction, most importantly instilling the notion that “teaching black children well was the purest form of activism”. The connection between educational justice and racial justice has fueled his desire to continue this path for the last 30 years. 

Currently there are three main pathways to teaching offered at the Center for Black Educator Development. The first is a Teacher Academy which provides a Career & Technical Education (CTE) course, often considered as Teaching 101, solely for 9th–12th graders who are interested in exploring teaching as high school students. The Center partners with schools who have a significant number of Black students enrolled and want to create a “Black teacher pipeline”. The course is based on a Black pedagogical framework consisting of “instructional standards and liberatory strands” for students to contemplate as they move through the curriculum. At the end, students complete an apprenticeship working alongside teachers in elementary schools.

In the summer the Center hosts the Freedom Schools Literacy Academy which offers paid apprenticeships for high school and college students who are interested in teaching. The apprenticeship is offered both in-person and virtually. El-Mekki describes it as an intergenerational model where students are coached by the staff. In addition to the Black pedagogical framework, it also pulls lessons from Freedom Schools, Black Panther liberation schools and independent Black school movements. 

The third offering is the Black Teacher Pipeline Fellowship for youth who have completed either of the two aforementioned programs and want to pursue college. The fellowship provides financial support of $5000 per year and upon reaching their 5th year, fellows receive a $20,000 retention stipend. “We don’t think that recruitment of Black youth to teach should be disconnected from the social, political and economic realities that they face,” states El-Mekki.

Besides the informal guidance that may be received from individual educators, most school districts do not have a formalized mechanism to support them, related El-Mekki, “…so we’re stepping in a vacuum to provide support in that space…It is our responsibility to try to match their interest with opportunity”.

WHAT’S IN A NUMBER? … A LOT.

Each year, The Black Teacher Pipeline Fellowship provides 25 fellowships to students across the United States interested in teaching. Since its inception, 55 fellows have been granted this opportunity. In addition, during their summer apprenticeship program, the Center hires approximately 100 high school and college-aged students to teach. Both opportunities allow youth to gain not only education and support, but also experience. 

El-Mekki stated that “…typically in a lot of the ed-prep programs they may not even do student teaching until their senior year, and sometimes it’s the second semester of their senior year. It’s the last thing they do before they graduate. Whereas we’re giving them an opportunity to lead a classroom as early as their sophomore year in high school.”

Based on the numbers, El-Mekki related that the interest from Black youth to explore the opportunities in teaching is overwhelming. This year alone, over 600 applicants applied to become a fellow at the Center, while over 300 applied to be a summer apprentice. Fellows require at least a $40,000 investment per student, so funding and capacity limits how many students can be served. 

However, for those like Ryans who do get an opportunity to participate in the programs at the Center, the exposure is invaluable.

First, participant feedback indicates that the experience, knowledge and support they receive is making a difference. El-Mekki related that students who are education majors reported learning more in one summer with the Center than their entire first three years in college.

Second, the Center is able to observe the direct impact participants have upon the elementary school students in the classroom that are reflected in the improvements seen in pre and post tests administered during the summer.

Third, and the most important from El-Mekki’s perspective, is that the interest in students becoming teachers has increased and they join the profession once they graduate college.

Currently the Center’s programs are in five high schools and they are on schedule to add a sixth school in Rochester, New York in the fall. The goal is to be in 30 high schools by 2030. The virtual component represents 13 states nationally.