Will also be honored by the FBI
WASHINGTON, D.C. (BlackNews.com) — LaSalle-Backus Education Campus principal Dr. Deborah A. Cox is taking an unusual step for her northeast D.C. students. She has invited a chess champion to her school to use the game to provide some special lessons.
Chess guru and founder of “Be Someone, Inc.” Orrin “Checkmate” Hudson, visited the school April 2 with a particular goal. “Dr. Cox tells me she is focused on developing practical skills and techniques to overcome many of life’s obstacles,” he explains. “The game of chess has helped me do just that so I will be sharing my special lessons with these students.”
Hudson, once an inner-city youth destined for trouble until a teacher taught him the game of chess, has several goals for the LaSalle Backus youngsters. “First, I hope to piqué their interest. Next, together we are going to turn an after school chess club into national chess contenders,” said the motivator Hudson. “Using techniques I have used around the world, I will promote and motivate students to make calculated moves through empowerment – by pushing kings around.”
According to Dr. Cox, “Hudson’s Be Someone movement stresses such ideas as responsibility, thinking before making decisions, and to be champions not only in the game of chess but also in life. A key lesson Orrin teaches is just as there is a consequence for a wrong move on a chess board, there is a consequence for every poor decision we make.”
“I can’t wait to meet these new students,” Hudson excitedly explains. “This is what I do. I truly believe a teacher saved my life and I’m now paying back that debt.” The former Alabama state trooper with a determination forged through years of personal challenge, emphatically underlines why he does what he does, “Teaching the children to think strategically about their future makes my heart sing.”
But that’s not the only reason why Hudson was in town. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Headquarters honored Hudson on April 4, at the J. Edgar Hoover Building 935 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20535 at 1 p.m. The award is for his service, leadership and his exceptional insight and success in reaching disadvantaged youth through the game of chess.
