At the end of the day, it’s LQVE: KingMakers Program at Franklin & Faculty Member Charles Parker

Charles Parker comes from a multi-generation Franklin family with deep roots in South Seattle, though he graduated from Ingraham High School in north Seattle, the result of a period of busing in Seattle (1972 – 1999).  He says, “I grew up in the Seattle system and it failed me.  It wasn’t teaching me how to be.  It wasn’t reaching me.  I experienced trauma at school; (in elementary school) a teacher (who happened to be white) tied me to a chair, gagged me and interrogated me, because I was talking out of turn, as her means of.  Not every situation is that traumatic, but many have experiences that lead to feeling not smart enough -- not okay.”  As a result, Charles returned to South Seattle determined to make a difference:  “I always knew that there was a bigger calling for me.”  

KingMakers is a program designed to turn the experience of school around for black male students in middle- and high schools.  It is a multi-pronged program with a specific curriculum (which can cover four years), including an expanded history of their own ancestry before slavery,  a detailed pedagogy which includes teaching leadership skills and team building, engagement with students’ families and community (including other teachers) and changing the narrative around being young, black, and male. 

Charles says, “We teach them to think bigger, that there are more options than being a ballplayer. We provide exposure to all the potential out there (in the world).  We see them, all the potential in them, in a world and school system that doesn’t see them for who they are, that often makes them invisible or sees them through a distorted lens.”  

KINGMAKERS OF OAKLAND Episode 1: WHO IS CHRIS CHATMON?

“We start class the same way every day.  Music plays as they walk in; we meet-and greet; I shake every student’s hand and then check in with each student--we believe in honoring the student.  Then we take attendance and do the man-up pledge.  Next, the ‘black fact of the day’ is followed by a reading-share.  Then we dive into the curriculum.   Consistency is very important. If there is a change, I tell them ahead of time. We have a ‘King of the week’ who will read the pledge, share articles and have opportunities to read, run the computer and run the projector.  I step back and let them lead the whole thing.  We are teaching them manhood and how to get what they want after high school.  I also give the chance to pass on reading but now I don’t have to -- they all want to.  Some have trouble with the reading, but we don’t put each other down.  We support each other, raise the bar.  They are respectful when someone makes a mistake.  When I come to class, it’s amazing to see where they started and where we are.  They are moving forward every day.  God gave you two ears and one mouth so that you listen more than you talk.  They want accountability and structure.”  

An important part of the program is teambuilding and developing a safe place.  Many of the students have had experiences of feeling unsafe, emotionally, or physically, or both. These traumatic events, especially early in their education, set them on a trajectory for failure, not success.    Developing a safe space is fundamental to the program in turning this around.  Parker reports that after just a few months, his students stop by the class room at all times of the day; sometimes to talk to him, sometimes to chill, sometimes to eat lunch.

Parker says, “We support each other.  These young men used to sit in the back of class so this is about giving them a stage.  You have to believe in them, in an authentic relationship.   I have to earn respect – and it’s a two-way street, a give-and-take relationship. They have the opportunity to lead one another and hold each other accountable, to develop peer group accountability.  Sometimes they don’t even know that’s what they are doing!  We are all in it together.”  

KINGMAKERS OF OAKLAND: Episode 2: OAKLAND THE BLUEPRINT

Whereas Charles’ previous experience was focused on developing data-driven policies for schools, he says that “this is really hands-on. It’s a great opportunity to get back in the classroom and to go into other classrooms, adding resources. I routinely check-in with my students’ about their grades in other classes.  When a student says he doesn’t feel seen by a teacher, I get permission from him and meet with the teacher. Sometimes I go and sit in on the class.  If needed, I will speak to the teacher about the strong points of the student or work to restore the peace between a student and a teacher.”

Parker’s work is not only in the classroom.  He teaches two classes three times a week, but the rest of the time, he’s checking in with families of students, locating community resources for a student or family or meeting with another teacher at either the teacher’s request or a student’s.  The KingMakers program includes providing restorative justice interventions on behalf of the students, helping them navigate the school and the ‘system’ and helping the school serve their needs better. 

When Parker arrived, the class space available was a storage room.  He and the students emptied and cleaned it.  When the FAA&F was alerted, a quick campaign to locate furnishings added chairs, lamps, a rug, a refrigerator, tables and the like.  One student’s artistic inclinations were encouraged and he began to design and then create a wall-sized mural for the room.  He went from being someone who had not been successful in high school, with a significant truancy problem, to being motivated to check into the room everyday (and therefore, to school generally).  Charles says, “that mural is more than a mural for him. He is seeing himself in the mural.  It is part of his accomplishment.”   

To fund the program, Principal Drew O’Connell submitted a proposal last spring, and was one of the successful grantees.  He says, “Charles Parker is amazing.”  Independently, Parker told us, “the administration, Drew O’Donnell, Jeff Lam and Ericka Pollard here have been amazing. I appreciate them for welcoming me into their space. Anytime I need anything it’s there….   This is not work for me.  I am passionate about what I do. It’s a gift.” 

Kingmakers originated in Oakland and is on the way to becoming a national program.  It is now in a number of Seattle middle schools and Franklin is one of three high schools offering the program.  

KINGMAKERS OF OAKLAND: Episode 3: KINGS & KINGMAKERS