When Albert Ball was a student, what he “really needed” both inside and outside the classroom was Black male role models whom he could learn from and emulate.
Now, as a teacher himself, he stands as that role model, mentoring and leading young Black students in his own classroom.
“Being that confidante for young Black students is really important to me, and I can see that I make a difference every day,” said Ball, a math teacher at Liberty Middle School in Madison County and a graduate of Alabama A&M University.
Black male teachers like Ball can have a huge impact on students, but they make up only a tiny percentage of today’s educators. Only 1.3 percent of U.S. public school teachers in 2020-2021 were Black men – a drop from 6.5 percent just three years earlier, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
The Alabama Power Foundation is partnering with several of the state’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to help change that trend. The foundation is funding a two-year pilot cohort aimed at increasing the number of Black male teachers in Alabama.
“Our Black Male Teacher Initiative is something we’re so proud to support. It’s one of the many ways that we partner with Alabama’s HBCUs to advance education,” said Staci Brown Brooks, Alabama Power Foundation president.
The foundation highlighted its work in this space in Birmingham at the UNCF Mayor’s Masked Ball on Saturday, which celebrated 80 years of supporting educational endeavors for minority students and the nation’s HBCUs.
Last year, the foundation invested more than $5 million in education, which is one of its primary focus areas. The new Black Male Teacher Initiative is just one facet of the foundation’s education-related efforts.
The objective of the Black Male Teacher Initiative is to work with select HBCUs, including Miles College, Alabama State University, Talladega College and Alabama A&M, to motivate more Black males to pursue education degrees and help prepare them for a career in the classroom, Brooks said.
“Representation matters in our schools,” she said. “We see this as an opportunity to help improve the perception of teaching as a career for Black men, and also to give hope and inspiration and mentorship to young Black men who need it.”
Jarred Rosser, a recent graduate of Miles, an HBCU in Fairfield, said because of the support he received through the Black Male Teacher Initiative, he was able to overcome financial challenges and complete his degree in early childhood education, keeping him on track to becoming a teacher.
Rosser said completing his undergraduate studies was especially meaningful because he’s the first person in his family to receive a college diploma.
Mario Lumzy, an Alabama State alumnus and principal at Birmingham’s William J. Christian K-8 School, can also testify that the Black Male Teacher Initiative is reaping results, even though the program is still in the early stages.
“The Black Male Teacher Initiative has certainly impacted students at Alabama State University,” Lumzy said. “We have so many males who benefit from seeing other Black males around the campus.”
During the Discovery Phase of the Black Male Teacher Initiative, research was conducted to select HBCU partners, evaluate their educational programs, identify needs and propose ways to provide support. In Phase II, the foundation will work with college faculty and school system administrators to develop ways to motivate program participants to remain in Alabama after graduation.
Grants from the foundation are being used to cover the cost of student teaching stipends, exam preparation and fees, and mentoring/professional development programs.
The foundation has also recommended other avenues for future support, including funding for sponsorships, new teacher grants, career fairs, professional development cohorts and networking opportunities.
With 23 years of experience in the classroom, Jeffree Wynn, a Talladega College graduate and special education teacher at Birmingham’s Huffman High School with 23 years’ experience in the classroom, had this advice for young Black males preparing for a future in education: “Lead with your heart.”
“There’s a certain aspect of emotion that goes into education, and being a role model in that way,” Wynn said.
“That starts with the heart.”
To learn more about the Alabama Power Foundation and its many programs and initiatives, visit powerofgood.com.
