Black men in suits visit East Side school

Parents stared, confused. Children waffled, ambivalent about what they were about to walk into.

The 25 black men dressed in well-tailored suits, ties and dress shoes was an incongruous sight to families at EastSide Charter School in Wilmington. 

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The East Side neighborhood is known for its high-crime rate, as well as being the site of multiple shootings. And many of the students that go to EastSide Charter live nearby, either in the neighborhood itself or other parts of Wilmington. 

The pre-K to eighth grade school with its grassy courtyard seems like an oasis, surrounded by rundown buildings and empty lots. The streets leading to it are littered with garbage, fast food wrappers and bottles. A mile away is Howard R. Young Correctional Institution.

On Tuesday, the charter kicked off the first day of school with an event called "Suit up. Show up." African-American men were asked to model what success looks like by dressing up professionally and greeting students on their first day of school. Three Wilmington police officers also attended. 

"We had lawyers come out today," said Aaron Bass, CEO of Vision Academies, a small charter school network consisting of EastSide Charter School and Charter School of New Castle. "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 the local chapter of The Fellowship: Black Male Educators for Social Justice. 

Founded in Philadelphia, the group is dedicated to advancing the recruitment, development, and retention of black male educators throughout the region. Even at East Side Charter School, which has a more diverse staff than many Delaware schools, only 35.8 percent, or 36, of its educators are African-American. Only 16 of the staff are male, according to the Delaware Department of Education. 

"I think no matter what the economic spectrum is for our children, for children like ours, all across the entire nation, it's rare to see men of color in education," Bass said. "No matter what state or city you're in, it's a rarity."

One of the men to "show up" Tuesday morning was University of Delaware graduate student Garry Johnson, who grew up in Chester, Pennsylvania, an area not unlike Wilmington's East Side. 

Twenty miles southwest of Philadelphia, it has one of the highest per-capita murder rates in the country, and residents have a 1 in 37 chance of becoming a victim of violent crime. 

It is ranked as the 12th most dangerous city in the U.S.; Wilmington is 5th. 

"This is kind of something I wish I had back when I was younger," Johnson said, "having that positive male role model just present showing kids that they can aspire to greatness, showing the kids that showing up in a suit, looking professional is something that will get you far in life." 

Finding those role models can be difficult, Johnson said. Students spend a lot of time in school, and if there aren't African-American men there, they may think those kind of positions are unattainable. 

"It's definitely hard to find (role models)," Johnson said. "But there are men out there that are positive role models, and we just want to show them that we are here, that we are here to support them. And we're also showing other men in the community that they can do the same thing — anyone can show up."

Antonio Smith and his sister Tariah didn't quite know what to make of Johnson and the other men. Men who wear suits are from the White House, Tariah said, surveying the scene.

In the background played "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now," once hailed by the civil rights movement as a black anthem of sorts because of its empowering lyrics: "We won't let nothin' hold us back, we're putting ourselves together, we're polishing up our act!" 

As the school's 440-plus students arrived Tuesday, Bass reminded them to tuck in their shirts and act respectfully. 

"(They're showing us) how to be a gentleman, how to dress like one, how to shake hands," Smith said, adding that it made him feel "good" to see the men in suits.

Contact Jessica Bies at (302) 324-2881 or jbies@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @jessicajbies. Looking for more education news? Visit delawareonline.com/education.