CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — A video celebrating Black male teachers at Charles Drew High School in Clayton County went viral after being reposted by rapper Common.
The video, created by Alfred Shivy Brooks, an economics and personal finance teacher, highlights the Black men he works with daily at the school.
It underscores the importance of representation, as only 1.6% of teachers in the U.S. are Black men, compared to 18% at Charles Drew.
“I’m an old school Common fan, so it was kind of... I had a fanatic moment. Like, ‘Eh! Common reposted the video.’ So that was really cool,” Brooks said.
“We pride ourselves in being intentional about making sure that we have great representation in our school system,” said Dr. Anthony Smith, superintendent of Clayton County Public Schools. “Black male educators have been proven to have a positive impact on outcomes for all students, regardless of race regardless of gender.”
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Assistant Principal William Silveri, who has been at Charles Drew for 13 years, emphasized the role of Black male educators as role models.
“They see us as real people. They see us as role models. They even see us as friends and uncles,” he said.
Brooks, the son of a teacher, has more than 100,000 followers on Instagram and uses his platform to talk about education.
“For those who see me through social media or other means, who view me as a unicorn in the education space, I’m not a unicorn at all. I’m part of a tribe. I’m part of a village of Black men that show up every day,” Brooks said.
Brooks also had a message for young Black boys: “For any of the Black boys out there, I would offer to them you are viral, you are magical, you are large every single day. It’s just that people don’t necessarily see it.”
The viral video has brought attention to the significant impact of Black male educators and the importance of representation in schools.
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