Breaking Barriers: The Critical Role of Black Men in Education

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This panel will explore the transformative impact of Black men in the field of education. Despite being underrepresented, Black male educators play a vital role in shaping the academic and social experiences of students, particularly Black youth. Their presence in schools and universities not only provides crucial mentorship and role modeling but also helps in challenging and dismantling systemic barriers within the educational system.

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Jermaine James

Dr. Jermaine James is a district resource teacher with the School District of Osceola County, Florida specializing in high school social studies. He has been in education for over 15 years. He has taught at the middle and high school levels in Florida and the United Arab Emirates. Dr. James has been part of the LEAD Grant with NCHE for four years and has participated in field studies and conferences. In addition, he has been selected as C-SPAN Summer Educator as well as New York Public Library Summer Resident. Dr. James earned his undergraduate degree in Social Sciences from Florida State University, a Masters in Instructional Technology from Troy University, and a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Capella University.

 

 

 

Ja’Quez Taylor

A disruptive transformational leader and a passionate advocate for education and student success. Ja’Quez understands the role of improving educational equity and preparing life-long learners for success and providing students in urban schools an equitable opportunity for success for their college and career journey.

Ja’Quez holds a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Applied Cultural Thoughts from North Carolina A & T State University. He is currently a candidate for his second Master’s in curriculum and instruction. He is an eager and passionate educator advocating for equitable changes in public education with a focus on urban schools and communities. Mr. Taylor started his career as a teacher and CEO/Director of Tutoring and School Partnerships for a successful tutoring organization he founded in Thomasville, NC. 

Mr. Taylor taught elementary education in Tulsa, OK, Dallas, TX, and North Carolina where he then moved on to serve as an Impact Manager/Coach for an education non-profit that supports students and schools with full-time, near-peer interventionists, and mentors in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Ja’Quez has served in various roles such as Director of Elementary Programs, Program Director, as well as K-12 Education Consultant. He is currently an Assistant Director of TRIO Upward Bound at North Carolina Central University. Ja’Quez was honored and nominated as one of South Florida’s Top Black Educators of the 2021-2022 academic school year. Mr. Taylor was admitted into the North Carolina CREED Fellowship Program for Equity for the years 2023-2024 to do equity work across the great state of North Carolina. Most recently he was selected to serve North Carolina Education Policy Fellowship for the 2024-2025 year.

Ja’Quez is a Native of Thomasville, North Carolina by way of Lauderdale Lakes, Florida. When he is not traveling enjoying his friends. He enjoys reading, educational research, shopping and putting clothing pieces together for fashion style.

 

Jeffery White

Jeffery (Jeff) White is an experienced researcher, writer, poet, educator, and social advocate. His professional journey began at John Jay College Criminal Justice, where he studied International Criminal Justice and Human Rights; his research at John Jay focused on the intersections between the United States Criminal Justice System and International Human Rights. Thereafter, he went on to pursue his MA at Columbia University, where he studied Human Rights and Social Stratification; there his research extended on his research at John Jay College but focused on statistical analysis of police brutality cases of unarmed Black men in America as a genocide. After attaining his MA from Columbia University, he was accepted into a teaching fellowship that afforded him the opportunity to receive MS from Brooklyn College in Special Education 7-12, with a research concentration in Urban Education Policy. Before teaching in public education, White taught incarcerated youth at Rikers Island Correctional Facility, which inspired him to move on to public education with the intention of dismantling the School-to-prison Pipeline.

In addition to his primary job responsibilities, he has been appointed by NYC Office of Safety and Youth Development and has been leading the charge in supporting public schools in NYC District 15 in creating culturally responsive curriculum grounded in racial equity and restorative practices, all with the goal of desegregating NYC schools and the curriculum. He is currently a part-time Adjunct Professor of Africana Studies at John Jay College and a full-time Biology Special Education Teacher at a school in Brooklyn, New York in which he pushes his students to constantly examine the ways in which racial disparities in STEM have been sustained through Domestic Slavery and Racial Segregation.