On the first day of school, EastSide Charter School in Wilmington, Delaware, asked black men to model what success looked like by coming to school dressed for success.
The event was called “Suit Up. Show Up,” according to an exclusive report in the News Journal. The school wanted the kids in an area that is known for its high crime rate to see that success was still possible, so they called for men model what that success looked like and to greet children as they showed up for school.
That is how 25 black men in suits ended up at the charter school to greet kids as they came in, dressed professionally and clearly bringing inspiration and a good example to the kids. Three Wilmington police officers also came to the event.
“We had lawyers come out today,” said Aaron Bass, CEO of Vision Academies, a small charter school network. “We had college students come out today. We had men from all over Delaware come out to say to the children ‘I want you to be successful.'”
The event was organized by local chapter of The Fellowship: Black Male Educators for Social Justice, which seeks to enhance recruitment and retention of black male educators.