Dr. Steve Perry Talks Leadership, Education, and Our Children

But I also think about the differences that my sons grow up with. They have access to things I didn’t. They ride with their father to school. We do homework together, I coach them, and take them to piano lessons. I know other like-minded dads and we plan our children’s weekend together. My children have access to professionals and entrepreneurs as just regular dudes that come over to the house—like the VP of ESPN or Steve Harvey. They have a lifestyle that doesn’t even seem real. My experiences as a child were not even on the same planet.

However, I think my situation is quite similar to other middle-class black adults with children—we’re over compensating, which can make our children soft. We have to make sure they understand the realities that exist outside of this bubble.

You’ve had such incredible success in your current role and your results speak for themselves. Do you ever think of things that you could have done differently, or have you made any critical mistakes that have impacted early results?

The biggest mistake I made is thinking that just because people were black, they were going to have our back. I played myself. I should have known that people are people. I jumped out in front of this thing and thought that if I presented people with how bad our community was doing that, naturally, they would help. Some of biggest opponents were from our community. They were fighting for the status quo. It reminded me of the famous Harriet Tubman’s quote, “I freed a thousand slaves. I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.” We have felt, for too long, that the system that’s hurting us is helping us. We’re creatures of habit in our community.

What are your plans for the future, in terms of advocacy and educational reform in low-income communities of color?

The future is bright.  Education reformers are multiplying. The more you have, the more will be reformed. We are becoming more sophisticated and thoughtful in all methods of teaching. Gone are the days of eggheads resigned to merely fighting against unions. We’re no longer afraid of escalating progress. We’re prepared to do the real work and go the extra mile.

There are now, more than ever, more opportunities to send children to great schools. Not long ago, it was a perceived fact that if a kid was poor and a minority they could not be successful. The notion was treated like a foregone conclusion: you were resigned to failure. Young people are going to college. Our school is but one of the schools; we are not the only one. The traditional schools are so bad—that’s why we have to be so good. It’s an open wound in our community that’s festering. We know that it’s bad, but knowing it’s bad isn’t enough. More money won’t solve the problem. Sinking a whole bunch of money into the problem won’t fix it. What’s needed is our unwavering commitment, which is a simple recipe composed of our time and effort.

Thank you for sharing your incredible insight with us Dr. Perry. Finally, what’s your best advice to parents whose children fit the demographic that you serve?

Read to your kids as soon as you can and as often as you can, until they can read to you. After they read to you, make them write about that they’ve read. Then make them write again. Kids can do anything if they can read. Their confidence will be through the roof. Confidence precedes competence. Kids who are best at school believe that they can be good at school. They aren’t scared to face new challenges and excel in ways that transform the way they show up in the world.

To keep up with Dr. Perry’s work, connect with him at www.drsteveperry.org or on Twitter: @DrSteveperry.

Karima Mariama-Arthur, Esq. is the founder and CEO of WordSmithRapport, an international consulting firm specializing in professional development. Follow her on Twitter: @WSRapport or visit her website, WordSmithRapport.com.