Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Archie Moss, Jr.
Hi Dr. Moss, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I did not choose 901, 901 chose me. I hail from beautiful Miami, Florida. My educational journey started during the summer of 2009 through a Program called Breakthrough Collaborative. This program was my first introduction to the field of education. During this summer I taught 7th-grade math to some amazing students in Cambridge, MA. I also had the opportunity to serve as an advisor to 3 boys (Berket, Ben, and Shimals). These 3 boys changed my life and exposed me to the power of mentoring. At the conclusion of the summer, I returned to the University of Florida and changed my major from Business Administration (where I wanted to pursue Business Law) to Family, Youth, and Community Sciences. I knew education was my path forward, but I also knew I did not want to extend my time in college, so I set out to complete Teach For America. TFA was my way of getting into the classroom and making the profound additional impact that I knew was possible. I was a Teach For America Charlotte Corps Member where I taught 6th and 7th-grade math and coached Basketball, Football, Track, and the Math Counts Team at Whitewater Middle School. Throughout this time other leadership development programs supported my personal development like New Leaders’ Emerging Leaders Program. While teaching I also received another degree from the University of North Carolina Charlotte (Master’s in Middle Grades Education).
I then went on to serve as the Dean of Students for fifth and sixth grade at Whitewater K-8. Knowing that I could impact true change in the education field, I successfully matriculated in the New Leaders Aspiring Principals Program which brought me to Memphis to serve as a Resident Principal at Bellevue Middle School under the phenomenal leadership of my Mentor Principal Dr. F. Kevin Malone. T was then named Principal at Bruce Elementary School where I was the youngest Shelby County Schools principal and the first Teach For America Memphis Alum to lead a district school. During my tenure at Bruce, I led the school to State of TN Reward School Status, went viral due to my weekly bedtime stories series, and was featured in USA Today and on the Ellen Show. I also had the opportunity to deliver a TEDx Talk on Small Ideas leading to Big Change. I have a true passion for ensuring that all students feel seen, heard, and deeply known. In the Summer of 2020, I successfully defended my dissertation and graduated from The University of Memphis with my Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. My dissertation title, #BlackBoysMatter: Dismantling Systems of Oppression for Black Boys through the implementation of School-Based Mentorship Programs, speaks to my passion for dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline. My passion led him to found The Gentlemen’s League, an all-male mentorship program that serves boys of color as well as founding Black Boy Joy Consulting LLC. Through my nonprofit, I founded Shelby County Schools’ first-ever Elementary Basketball League and currently serve 9 schools across Memphis-Shelby County. I currently work as a School Design Services Partner with Transcend Education where I coach and support school and district leaders on school redesign and innovation. Our goal is to ensure that all students attend schools with equitable and extraordinary outcomes and experiences.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I was born and raised in Miami, Florida, and am a proud graduate of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Going into high school, I struggled with being my authentic self. I was a Black Boy who grew up with working parents, who lived in the inner city, and who was athletic, but also smart. I struggled to identify my true identity and know who I really was and who I wanted to be each and every day I arrived at school. My ninth-grade Geometry teacher became my inspiration for proving people wrong. You see she labeled me as a troublemaker and went out of her way to say negative things about me and my future. She was my first example of someone who stereotyped me because I was a vocal and articulate Black boy. She would not be the first person on my journey to doubt me and my abilities, but she did ignite a flame that allowed me to work twice as hard to prove everyone wrong. I graduated #10 in my class out of 595 students. My Geometry teacher is the reason I became a teacher. I never wanted any other Black boy to experience a teacher like her, and it became my duty to uplift those behind me.
When I became a teacher I once again was greeted with scrutiny and judgment from my 6th Grade Administrator. This administrator failed to support me and my growth as a new teacher and I was very vocal about my needs being unmet. She then chose to find countless opportunities to reprimand me instead of utilizing her positional power to support a young and eager educator who was making a huge impact on students. She told me I would not make it in the education field because I “needed to learn how to remain quiet and not question the decisions being made by authority figures.” I went on to prove her wrong. I ended that school year with the highest end-of-grade scores in my school with 90% proficiency. She ended up leaving the school at the conclusion of that school year, and a few years later I moved to administration and moved into her old office; the same office she told me that I would not succeed in.
When I left the Dean of Students role, I realized that even as a Black man, I was further reinforcing the school-to-prison pipeline. My role required me to regulate and police behavior in ways that shook my faith in education. I knew there had to be another way. That “other way” runs against the conveyor belt of conventional thinking about the purpose of and methods for building school culture.
My next obstacle came when I arrived in Memphis as a 26-year-old seeking a Principal role. I was told I did not have the “right look.” I was told I needed to take my earrings out and cut my hair. I was told I was too young to lead a school. But once again I proved them wrong. I led my school to success and walked away from the Principalship knowing I did a job well done.
Being an entrepreneur, running a nonprofit and a consulting business, serving on Boards, and working full-time can be quite overwhelming. The society promotes this idea that being booked and busy is the move. But I would argue that I’d rather be purposeful and restful. Growing up I have always wanted to find opportunities to make supplemental income. So I have found myself pursuing so many opportunities to make money. I’ve realized that rest and relaxation are not a privilege or something that I earn from working hard. It’s something that we constantly need to refuel to ensure that we are showing up as our best selves.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Gentlemen’s League & Black Boy Joy Consulting LLC?
The Gentlemen’s League is an all-male mentorship program that serves Boys of Color in grades 3-12, through whole-child targeted supports, incentive programs, social-emotional development, and intentional mentoring that creates opportunities for children to experience joy and success.
If we want Boys of Color to be holistically successful in school and life, then they must experience environments where they feel seen, heard, and deeply known.
We Are Driving Towards 3 Sides of Impact:
1. Increase the representation of Males of color in K to 12 schools
2. Transform Learning and increase access and opportunities
3. Dismantle the School-to-Prison Pipeline
We accomplish all of this through our school-based mentoring framework and components that work with school-based staff and support and develop them to serve as mentors to Boys of color. The Gentlemen’s League has a variety of programs that school sites implement to support the development of Boys of Color including workshops, tutoring sessions, incentive programs, community service, and field trips.
Black Boy Joy Consulting LLC seeks to assist in cultivating joy in schools, districts, and media to build conditions where Black boys can be holistically successful in school and life. We have 4 focus areas:
1. Strengthening School Cultures: Our partnership will provide clients with a school culture assessment to address school and community needs. Partnerships will determine the current state of your community, and work to provide the tools and resources to strengthen school environments.
2. Media Consultations: Our partnership will provide clients with a review of materials to ensure that the depiction of Black boys in their content is accurate and culturally responsible. Our partnership will focus on the interrogation and response to the media’s (mis)representations of Black males.
3. Implementing School-Based Mentorship Programs: Our partnership will provide clients a framework for a successful mentorship program, and provide a foundation for what aspects and components of a school-based mentorship program are needed in order to improve and strengthen the outcomes of Black boys.
4. Providing School and Staff Professional Development: Our partnership will provide schools and districts with sessions to assist with gaining tools and resources on how to support Black boys. Staff members need to be provided an opportunity to discuss their identity, privilege, and cultural competence which will allow them to unpack their personal biases and stereotypes that may negatively impact how they support Black boys.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
The critical problem that must be addressed is that Black boys are not being successful academically, behaviorally, or socially in comparison to other groups. My desire to do this work stems from years of attending public schools, as well as working in public schools, and witnessing the disproportionalities in suspensions.
Say their names: Michael Brown, Cameron Tillman, Jordan Davis, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin. All of these young Black boys, ages 18, 14, 17, 12, and 17 respectively, were all killed too soon at the hands of law enforcement. The list of young, Black males whose lives were cut short is exhaustive. For years and years, the lives and bodies of young, Black boys have been under attack.
At some point, little Black boys who were once described as cute and innocent, grow up and become dangerous and threatening in the eyes of others. Illustrating this, Black males have been found to be suspended at a much higher rate, four times more likely, than their white counterparts (Kang- Brown et al, 2013). The world is demanding change. Work must be organized to assist in improving the lives and outcomes of Black boys across the United States. Black boys’ lives matter. It’s time that we show them that they really matter.
I do what I do every single day for every Black boy or man who was ever told they couldn’t. For every child who couldn’t discover their voice. For every Black boy who thought he wasn’t good enough, for every Black boy who is wrongfully labeled. I do this because every student deserves an educator who will push them to reach their fullest potential.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thegentsleague.org | www.BBJconsultingllc.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thegentlemensleague | https://www.instagram.com/blackboyjoyconsulting/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGentsLeague | https://www.facebook.com/BlackBoyJoyConsulting/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/The_GentsLeague/ | https://www.twitter.com/ItsDrMoss/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoIM1GyZXp6nQ2sIcF_wTIw
