Giving Compass' Take:

• Jason Terrell tells his story about being a black social entrepreneur, first working as a teacher until creating a social enterprise that the NewSchools’ Diverse Leaders portfolio accepted into its program. 

• What can social entrepreneurs learn from philanthropists and vice versa? 

• Read more about the why diversity in schools matters.

Let me tell you a story about how my entrepreneurial streak was fully actualized in the classroom, and how NewSchools Venture Fund funded my passion. With an investment through NewSchools’ Diverse Leaders portfolio, I got the funding I needed to better support and empower male educators of color.

I discovered a way to combine my entrepreneurial drive with my love of community. It began in the classroom.  I quickly noticed my students, especially the young men, naturally gravitated to me. I would get subtle questions like, “Mr. T, why do you want to teach us?” Or, “Mr. T, what is college like and did you always want to go?” “Mr. T, do you own a pair of J’s?” I always took the time to answer their questions and dispel any myths. Then it hit me. There were only a handful of male teachers of color in my school Each of us coached and served as mentors and father figures to our male students. Unfortunately, it was not enough, so I began data digging to find out why.

I learned two interesting facts. First, nationally less than 2 percent of all teachers are men of color. Second, and even more staggering, men of color leave the education profession at a rate 25 percent higher than any other demographic group.

In 2017, we were accepted into NewSchools’ Diverse Leaders portfolio. This experience gave us the space to ask tough questions about strategy and scale and receive support from the NewSchools team. It also placed us in a room of amazing entrepreneurs, funders, and advocates who believe in black and brown leadership. The experience pushed Profound Gentlemen to reshape our national strategy to retain and develop more than 400 male educators of color across the country in fiscal year 2018.

Read the full article about social entrepreneurship by Jason Terrell at Medium