“How Role Models of Color Are Crucial to the Success of Their Communities” by Maximillien Raymond

Many of us have people that we look up to as role models. Even those who do not have a specific person to look up to have met people who have attributes they admire and have in some way adopted those attributes. Role models are important in our lives because they give us an idea of who we should seek to be as we get older. You may have a parent, sibling, or celebrity that serves as your role model thus giving you a blueprint for what to strive to be. There may be features that make these role models appealing such as their appearance, attitude, or success. One important aspect that may be overlooked is how well you relate to your role model. A major problem within communities of color is that some lack someone to look up to that has the same racial or cultural identification.

Why Communities of Color Need Their Own Role Models
In the area where I got my K-12 education, most of the students were Hispanic with the next major population consisting of black students. Despite this, most of my teachers were white throughout my education and came from communities outside the one they were teaching in. Because of this, there were no teachers who understood what it is like to make a living while coming from the same background as me. Many of my peers did not fully comprehend the importance of their education because they lacked someone that would inform them on how difficult it is to be a person of color and make a living without a proper education.

Additionally, there were very few teachers who understood the importance of teaching me the struggles that people of color truly faced in this country. On top of that, I did not have anyone that ever encouraged me to pursue a career in education nor see how important the career is until my senior year of high school when I took African American Studies and African American Literature.

In all my years of schooling, those classes were the only times when I had someone of the same race teaching me. I was exposed to the hardships that black people have gone through in the United States, and it was one of the few times where I genuinely wanted to participate in a class (rather than doing it to improve a grade). In these classes, I began to really understand the importance of having a teacher who understands and cares about what you are going through. It is better than someone who is just lecturing you.

I learned that education is something that can be found anywhere if you're willing to keep an open mind; it extends beyond textbooks. All of this is to say that having someone who is from the same racial background as I gave me the opportunity to learn from someone who truly understands me and makes me see the value of pursuing a career in education and its importance in society.

Research seems to support that there is a connection between students having role models who come from the background as them and their productivity in the classroom.

According to The Long-Run Impacts of Same-Race Teachers, being exposed to just one black teacher in primary school decreases the high school dropout rate by an astounding 39% for the most disadvantaged black males. In a study titled The Effects of Teacher Match on Students’ Academic Perceptions and Attitudes, it was noted in a survey of 82,409 students from 231 schools that when students have racial similarities with their teachers, the students reportedly work harder and report that the teacher is better at caring for them, clarifying information, and conferring with them. Looking at these sources, if there is not a direct connection between same-race role models and the education of students, there is at least a strong correlation between the two. When in the presence of same-race teachers, students have a greater passion for school and feel more comfortable in their classes.

How This is a “Race,” Culture and Social Justice Issue
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 79% of all public school teachers in the 2017-18 school year in all 50 states and the District of Columbia are White and non-Hispanic. In fall 2021, the same source listed that 45% percent of public school students are white. Given how much of an effect same-race role models have on the education of students, the percentage of white, non-Hispanic teachers in comparison to all other races is concerning at best. With the teacher workforce being disproportionately white, it gives an advantage to white, non-Hispanic students over their fellow students.

This all shows why there is such a disparity in representation of Black teachers and why we need to educate ourselves on ways to get more people of color into teaching careers. If we are truly seeking to be a nation where everyone is equal, we must continue to address why there is inequality in the first place.

Maximillien Raymond is a Junior at Hofstra University from Brentwood, NY who majors in Philosophy and Rhetoric & Public Advocacy with a concentration in Political Communication. He is an Undergraduate Student Fellow at the Center for "Race," Culture and Social Justice, Resident Assistant, NOAH Scholar, Math Tutor, and member of the Phi Eta Sigma and Phi Sigma Tau Honor Societies.