The keynote speaker for last month’s African American Male Summit shared a special connection with the Kempsville students in attendance: Dr. Brian Williams, an educator at Georgia State University, is himself a former Chief.

On Jan. 11, Dr. Williams addressed the student attendees of the school division’s seventh annual African American Male Summit at Bayside High School.  The yearly Summit focuses on motivating minority students to take pride in their education and features breakout sessions on such topics as goal setting, college preparation, and career planning.

In his address, Dr. Williams – a 1990 Kempsville graduate – challenged black students to defy what he called misleading statistics and chart their own direction forward.

“My central message is a call for Black men to define their own identities, goals, and dreams,” Dr. Williams said.  “I hope to challenge those assumed ‘truths’ we have about Black men which serve to undermine their success.  For example, we often quote stats about Black male graduation rates, college attendance rates, and incarceration rates which are not rooted in fact.  We say things like, ‘there are more Black males in prison than there are in college.’  Not only is this statement not true, it only serves to overshadow the success of Black males in our community.”

Dr. Williams is director of the Alonzo A. Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence in the College of Education at Georgia State University and is an associate professor in the College’s Department of Early Childhood Education.  Dr. Williams’ work encompasses science education, urban education, and education for social justice” and focuses on how “equity issues related to race, ethnicity, culture, and class” influence science literacy, according to a brief bio of Dr. Williams in a press release describing the Summit.

“Today’s schools still struggle to serve all of our children,” Dr. Williams said.  “Children of color including Latinos, Latinas, Blacks, and Native Americans; English Language Learners; and poor children are often underserved by our nation’s schools.  As a community, our goal is for each child to realize his or her unique potential.”

Organized by the division’s Department of School Leadership, Office of Equity Affairs, and a group of administrators including Kempsville’s ISS coordinator Mr. Melvin Grant, this year’s Summit featured a celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and carried the theme “Transforming the Dream through Service.”  According to a press release describing the event, the Summit highlighted service projects and opportunities throughout the community.

Students also participated in a ceremony during which they committed to stay engaged in their education and graduate high school, according to the Office of Equity Affairs’ project manager for the event, Mrs. Frances Thompson.  She said the event gives minority students at risk of feeling isolated within the school community a powerful encouragement to achieve.

“[For these students] to see the number of students who are navigating the same school system – it’s very powerful,” Mrs. Thompson said.  “Then to hear from mentors and African American role models from across the city who are educators – it’s a very powerful time, and it’s emotional as well as educational and informational.”

During his days at Kempsville, Dr. Williams took an active role in student government and extracurricular activities.  Dr. Williams served as senior class treasurer, performed in the school’s production of the musical Bye, Bye, Birdie, and took to the stage as a finalist in the Mr. Kempsville pageant.  He remembers attending the Virginia Beach Leadership Workshop as a delegate from Kempsville, and it was through connections formed through the Workshop program that he was invited to speak at the Summit.

“The experience had a lasting impact on my work as a teacher and a community leader,” Dr. Williams said.  “I served on the Leadership Workshop staff for three years after graduating from Kempsville.”

Dr. Williams – a self-described “adventurer at heart” who has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and swam with sharks – said the Summit gave him a chance to make hometown impact.

“The Summit gives me the opportunity to impact the lives of Black men in the same community that I grew up in,” Dr. Williams said.  “I know how important events like this were in my life.  This is my opportunity to give back a small portion of what I have been given.”