Photo courtesy of DC Public Schools
As a student at Eliot-Hine Middle School in Northeast, Dr. Benjamin Williams was challenged by this geometry teacher.
“Ms. Brown was a woman who didn’t play and I think we all understand how those types of people have an impact on you,” Williams says. “She helped humble me and helped me to become a more disciplined individual.”
In August 2016, Williams will be that guiding light for 150 students at D.C.’s first public all-boys high school. The school is part of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Empowering Males of Color Initiative, and it will be housed at the former Ron Brown Middle School in Deanwood.
The school will open with a group ninth graders, adding a new freshman class until it reaches grades 9-12 in 2020. It is currently called the Empowering Males High School, but the community will later decide on a name, mascot, and school colors, according to DCPS spokesperson Michelle Lerner.
Last February, Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh questioned the fairness of opening the school, as it would be a resource for boys while isolating girls. Her concerns were echoed by the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. According to a U.S. Department of Education regulation, if a school system creates a same-sex public school for one gender, they must also provide substantially equal opportunities for the other gender.
The ACLU has brought lawsuits and filed complaints with the department to block single-sex schools in several states that they believe violate the policy.
But after looking into the plan, Attorney General Karl Racine said that opening the all-boys school would not undermine similar educational opportunities that already exist for girls in the District.
“I think what we need to do overall is give our young men a place where they’re comfortable trying to prepare themselves,” Williams says. “I’m excited about the opportunity because we really get to individualize the academic program, we’ll get to know where students are intimately, and gear our instructional practices toward helping them reach their goals.”
With an upbringing shaped by abuse, neglect, and displacement, Williams understands the need for personal guidance first-hand.
As a toddler in Las Vegas, he lived with his mother, who was a prostitute and drug addict. “I basically became the man of the household,” says Williams, who had to take care of his mother and younger brother at the age of 3. When he was four, Williams’ mother left him and his brother, and they became wards of the state. As a foster child for the next six years, he moved between group homes and foster homes that “weren’t very safe,” he says. “There were some major struggles—any type of abuse you could imagine, I endured that.”
At 10 years old, Williams and his brother were finally adopted, but they still weren’t entirely settled. His new parent moved them to Seattle, Washington, D.C. and finally to Newport News, Va. “Throughout my school career, I went to maybe 20 to 21 different schools,” Williams recalls.
In order to cope with multiple transitions, he turned to sports. “That’s the one savior when you’re trying to make an adjustment as a young man,” Williams says. “The athletic arena has always been an area where you can prove your worth.” Like Ms. Brown, his basketball and track coaches became mentors.
Williams went on to get a bachelor’s degree, Master’s of Teaching degree, and Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of Virginia, where his dissertation focused on the underrepresentation of African Americans in advanced placement courses. He began his professional career as a high school social studies teacher in Charlottesville.
Most recently, Williams served as associate principal at the School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens Education Campus, a pre-kindergarten-8th grade school in Northwest, where he was awarded the 2015 Gary Rubenstein award for Highly Effective Leadership.
More than anything, Williams uses his story for inspiration. “I don’t want any pity from anybody,” he says. Further, he wants students to understand that “no matter what your beginnings are, your endings don’t have to be the same.”
Williams plans to visit every D.C. public school with a graduating 8th grade class to recruit students.
The new school’s academic programs will focus on reading, writing, and languages like Spanish and Latin. The curriculum will also push math and technology proficiency as well as college and career preparation. The deadline to apply is February 1.
Williams will also visit all-boys schools across the east coast to bring best practices to the District.
“I’m putting forth a lot of effort and time to make sure our students are ready,” Williams says. “The one thing that I’m excited about now is opening those doors in August—I know I’m going to have 150 young men walking through those doors knowing they get to choose what they want to do next in life.”
