A Milwaukee program showed success
Locally, Milwaukee launched a program earlier this year where African American male mentors worked with Black children to improve their reading.
After COVID-19 shut down classrooms in early March, Milwaukee Public Schools struggled to pivot to an all-virtual environment.
In mid-May, Ralph H. Metcalfe Elementary School at 3400 W. North Ave. enlisted the support of two service organizations, MKE Fellows and Links, Incorporated, to tutor and mentor students to prevent a reading and math backslide over the summer. The program was called the Five Pillars, Metcalfe School Virtual Pilot program.
Through the program, Malachi Crenshaw, a freshman engineering major at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, linked up with Josiah Johnson, a second grader at Metcalfe. Crenshaw, a graduate of Rufus King High School, said he had never tutored anyone, but found the virtual meetings with Josiah rewarding.
“It’s more than just tutoring. I talk with Josiah every day. Aside from work, we talk about his dreams and aspirations. He wants to be a zookeeper one day,” Crenshaw said. “He asks me about college and life things. We also discuss goals and his future.”
Josiah returned the compliment. “He helps me with school, and we talk about everything,” the youngster said. “I like reading to him.”
Elnora Burnley, Josiah’s grandmother, said she would like to see the program continue beyond the COVID crisis.
“I know Josiah and the other kids benefit from the extra attention these mentors provide,” Burnley said. “He gets one-on-one time for an hour with the tutor and that’s something he can’t get at the school during the day.”
John W. Daniels III, executive director of MKE Fellows, said 20 men served as tutors and mentors at Metcalfe, some participating up to five hours a day.
Melinda Gladney, principal of the school, said students “came to life” with their mentors. “They were more connected because the college students were closer to their age group and many came from Milwaukee,” she said. “It was more of a relationship like a big brother, big sister type thing.”
The program served up to 34 students from April 23 through May 21 to complete the school year, and 25 students from May 26 through June 29.
The use of collegiate tutors who culturally identified with the students allowed for deeper connections and provided them with an alternative perspective, according to an internal report on the program.
Of the students participating, 87% reported to school daily and all completed their reading work at grade level or higher, the report said.
“When students return to school in the fall, on average it takes them about eight weeks to get back to their previous level of proficiency,” Daniels said. “We saw what we could do with the help of the mentors during these difficult times.”
‘A different view of the Black male’
It’s 7 a.m. one day last December, and Pratt is in Buena Vista’s library making sure each table has a good mix of books and magazines for the students and adults coming for Fatherhood Fridays.
“I’m hoping for a big turnout this
Dillan Burns, 14, spends time with his dad, Daryl Burns, 46, a former principal at Vincent High School in Milwaukee. Daryl Burns said he got his son interested in reading by taking him to the library and letting him discover for himself what he wanted to read.
morning,” he said. “I had a lot of (fraternity) brothers saying they were going to come out in force today.”
Xavier Purdy, 33, was one of the first mentors to arrive. Dressed in a gray, pinstripe suit with a purple tie, Purdy felt it was important for the students to see what he looks like when he goes to work as a project manager at JMT Consulting Group.
“I wanted to show a different view of the Black male that a lot of our kids don’t get to see,” Purdy said.
Purdy speaks from experience; the neighborhood in Nashville he grew up in glorified drug dealers with nice cars, expensive clothes and jewelry.
“You see this growing up at 7, 8 and 9 years old and you think this is success, especially when you don’t have your father around and your mother is struggling to make ends meet,” Purdy said. “That kid was me.”
Purdy said he was lucky enough to have male mentors help him see a Black man can achieve success by doing things the right way.
Now it’s his turn.
“A mentor can provide a small ripple in the sea that can last a lifetime,” Purdy said.
As more men came through the
doors, many dressed in their Greek apparel, Pratt started beating on an African drum. He had first grader Mai’layah Rouse show men to desks filled with books.
Carlton Atkins was one of the 62 Black men who showed up.
He read a book on famous Black leaders to David Nathan, who placed his head on a desk and fell asleep. David’s nap didn’t stop Atkins. “We don’t know what these kids go through before they come to the school,” Atkins said. “I could tell he had a lot on his mind, so when he fell asleep, I decided to keep reading to him. Maybe something will sink in.”
Atkins grew up without his father. He said there is nothing more important than reading, and he started reading with his daughter while she was still an infant.
“It allows you to travel different places without even being there. Reading books just takes you to a different place. It’s even more important to have Black men reading to our kids to get rid of that myth that we don’t care. We do care about our extended families,” he said.
Although his father was not involved in his life, Atkins, an artist, said he was
About this project
Reporter James E. Causey spent the 2019-20 academic year as an O’Brien Fellow in Public Service Journalism at Marquette University, where he was assisted by student researchers Abby Ng, Donna Sarkar and Sebastian Becerra.
Photojournalist Angela Peterson’s work was supported by a public service journalism fellowship from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, which aims to inform and foster civic engagement and rising together to eradicate systemic racism that withholds our region and all people from truly thriving.
All work on the project was done under the guidance of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editors. Neither Marquette nor the foundation had involvement in decisions about the content or presentation of the work. To support the Journal Sentinel’s in-depth local reporting, please subscribe at jsonline.com/deal.
fortunate enough to have a mentor in his life who took him and other Black high school boys in Nashville to visit Tennessee State and Fisk University.
“Y’all are going to one of these universities. You have to see it and believe it,” the man, Bill Hampton, would tell the high schoolers.
Today, Atkins said, “I’m proud to say I attended Tennessee State University. I got my master’s from Tennessee State University and I credit Bill every time I see him for believing in me.”
As the reading session neared its end, Pratt had all of the kids get in a circle and he had all of the mentors form a circle around them.
He had the kids face the men and repeat: “Thank you for coming. We need you.”
Then he had the men respond to the kids: “We love you. We need you. We will be there for you.”
Then Pratt beat on his African drum in a “call” and had the kids and mentors respond: “I’ll read!”
Ja’Vohnni Calloway, a third grader with long dreadlocks, told his mentor he hopes he comes back next month.
“I wish this didn’t have to end. I liked the way you read to me. When you come back, I will read to you.”