Black Men Matter: Durham Public School Board to select a new member

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Commentary- It matters when a Black man is in the room.

Black men matter. Black men matter.

Black men are dying. Black men are caught within a vicious cycle that is complicated to understand. It matters when Black men show up because problems related to Black men are too vast for most people to fully understand.

It is why I weep whenever I consider the current state of the Durham Public School Board of Education. There is no Black man on the board. Not one.

Can I repeat, Black men matter.

Members of the current board vote on Thursday, March 15 to replace Matt Sears, a white man, after he resigned on Jan. 31 to join the Durham Public School Foundation. Sears accepted the job after voters elected him to another term in May, giving the board the power to select his successor.

The process smells like week old fish – funky. The developments leading up to Sears exit from the board reveals activity tainted by politics, conflicting interests and questionable ethics. I’m not saying it’s wrong, but it stinks.

Xavier Cason left the school board to become the new Director of Community Schools and School Transformation. Sears is Director of Partnership, another position created and filled by a school board member. Not illegal, but it is funky.

Four candidates have emerged to fill the vacant seat. Apryle Lawson Daye, a real estate agent and paralegal, Jessica Friedlander, a mentor at Duke TeachHouse, Jessica Carda-Auten, a public health researcher at UNC and  Kevin Primus, a local business owner, teacher and coach.

Primus is a Black man. His background and experience protrude above the rest. He has education credentials. He has experience. He is a parent of Durham Public School students. He has dedicated time in service to the Durham community.

Did I mention he’s a Black man?

Some members of the board may say it doesn’t matter. They may push for a less qualified candidate with a pitch promoting the narrative of a better fit. They may talk about board chemistry. They may suggest there’s more to the selection than what can be seen on paper and what is heard during the interviews. They may tell us to trust their judgement more than our gut feelings.

There is a deeply inherent problem when a Black man isn’t chosen because of the assumptions of the powerful people in the room. There is a message which transcends the story line of group cohesion. It involves what we instruct Black boys about what it takes to sit at the table. It involves the integrity of a process aimed at selecting the best qualified person for any position.

The actions of board members matter as much as the curriculum taught in classrooms. Integrity matters. It matters when Black men are chosen because they deserve to sit in the room. It also matters when they aren’t selected because of politics more committed to controlling the room.

It matters when Black boys see a Black man on the school board. It matters when Black men are represented to undo stereotypes about Black men. Beyond teaching the way, we need systems committed to equity, inclusion and accountability.

“Professor Kenney, I’m so glad to have you teaching this class,” a Black male student at University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill said after class. “You are my first Black male teacher. Ever.”

The truth startled me. I considered my own story. My first class with a Black man teaching didn’t happen until my sophomore year in college. The absence of Black men impacts the identity of Black boys. It matters when Black men show up in rooms to display unlimited possibilities.

Black men are not looking for special treatment. We are not looking to be selected because we are Black men. We simply do not want to be dismissed when we are the most qualified in the room. We do not want to hear excuses for not being chosen. We desire being chosen because it is the right thing to do.

Black men work hard to be seen and heard. In a school system with enormous problems related to reaching and nurturing Black boys, we refuse to accept a narrative that excludes the significance of our presence.

Kevin Primus is a Black man.

Yes, that Black man matters.

And, yes, he is the most qualified person in the room.