Student-Written Story: Historically Black Colleges and Universities Virtual Tour

In this student-written piece, August reflects on participating in a virtual Historical Black College tour with the AAMA Student Leadership Council.

About AAMA and SLC : The Office of African American Male Achievement Student Leadership Council is a network of student leaders who support each other at their schools and across the district while also providing guidance to Seattle Public Schools leadership and holding leadership accountable on priority initiatives of AAMA. AAMA managers Kevin Loyal and Adam Haizlip facilitate the SLC meetings.

“Peace Kings, The SLC has been invited to engage and participate in a Virtual Black College Tour with Seattle Central Colleges. We will unpack more during our SLC meeting this Wednesday,”  the email from Mr. Loyal read.

What? College Tour! Man, I was so excited that I actually logged into the virtual Black College Tour two weeks early, and I had my mom call Mr. Loyal and Mr. Haizlip to find out why nobody else was there.  Whatever I thought about over those two weeks could not truly prepare me for the experience. I spoke with several colleges and all of them showed me love — and that matters! That matters to a kid from Seattle because this city was all I knew. But now, I have begun to build relationships with folks at North Carolina Central College. I know it ain’t UNC — University of North Carolina, Carolina Blue Jordans. You know, Tar Heels? But the school took an interest in me. That’s all the motivation I needed at this point to keep my head up and keep pushing through these mountains of schoolwork being assigned.

When I first logged into the college tour, I looked at a lot of colleges. None were from the state of Washington. “Hmm,” I wondered. “Why are there no HBCUs in Washington?” So, I branched out to the out-of-state colleges.

Did you know the nearest HBCU is in Oklahoma — Langston University? Don’t wanna live there, so I kept searching and I found one I was extremely motivated to go to. Like, it legit made my week!

I want to see educators that look like me. I want a college professor that can relate to the experiences I’ve faced. And, if I could have it all, I want him them to bust a rap like my Kingmakers facilitator Mr. Walton does to get our day started off right!

~August

See, I want to play college basketball. I want to experience learning like it is in my Kingmakers of Seattle classes. I want to see educators that look like me. I want a college professor that can relate to the experiences I’ve faced. And, if I could have it all, I want him them to bust a rap like my Kingmakers facilitator Mr. Walton does to get our day started off right!

I now know I want to go to a Historically Black College or University. To be honest, I didn’t even know they existed before the history lesson we got in the SLC meetings prior to the virtual tour. After attending the virtual tour, I now have a target I am aiming at.

Another cool thing I never knew was that my dad attended a HBCU for a year. He attended Morehouse. Y’all should Google who else went to Morehouse — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Spike Lee. Those are only three out of thousands of Kings who have gone on to positively contribute to their families and community.

So, in conclusion, being a member of the SLC has opened so many doors for me — from boosting my confidence, to speaking what’s on my mind, to pushing me to pursue my goals even when I have had some personal challenges going on at home. Look — honestly, the SLC is hard work but it got me ready to be successful in school and life. I am so grateful to be a part of the SLC. I’ve got real friends, real connections and my brother Trevon and I will be mentoring some fourth graders. Nothing About Us Without Us!

Read more about the AAMA and Student Leadership Council.