Dr. Abraham, you are a successful Black male in the field of academia. What is your personal story and what led you to these successes?
This is a great question. My personal story may not be what many expect when they see me. Many times people see me on television, on social media, as a principal, speaking at conferences with suits on, and always smiling. They hear I’m a doctor who has two master’s degrees, and a bachelor’s degree, and they make these inferences about me. They say, “Wow, he must’ve grown up in a two-parent household, gone to suburban schools growing up, and did everything right to end up now, a national consultant, speaker, father, and principal.”
That could not be further from the truth. After the age of 8 years, I lived in a single-parent household, but from the time I was a baby until we moved away from that neighborhood, I thought the guy who I referred to as my stepfather was my real dad. I later learned that real dad didn’t want to claim me as his baby. We know the saying, “Momma’s baby, Daddy’s maybe.”
My stepfather was abusive—mentally, emotionally, psychologically, and physically. I lived with him, my siblings, and my mother. It took a long time to finally be free from the psychological abuse I suffered. I did, though, meet my biological father when I was about 11 or 12 years old, after thinking a tyrant was my real dad for all of my formative years. But, my real dad’s presence didn’t last long; he was true to his nature. He came in and went out of my life several times. His absences and not wanting to be in my life really scarred me.
When we moved to the new neighborhood, my siblings and I would steal everything. I skipped school all the time, I was arrested by the age of 16, my SAT score was about a 700 at the time of graduating, and by the time I left high school, I was practically illiterate. Thank God, I was 6’4”, 265 pounds, and I could play football. That was my saving grace. My academic troubles did not end in college. My first year, I had a 1.4 GPA, and I was facing expulsion. By the age of 26 years, I had lost my real dad to gun violence, my two best friends to murder, and a mentor, my mom’s new husband, whom I loved and met at 14, was on his death-bed.
I say all of this to say that what drives me to success is the pain that I encountered growing up. I grew up poor and hated not having the lights on or having to go to school and sneak to take a shower because we didn’t have water. I hated having to steal clothes, food, and other things.
I’m a father to my three beautiful kids because my dad didn’t love me enough to stick around, and when he did try, it was too late because he was gunned down. I give a 100% to the students I serve because I am them, over 20 years ago, and I know, experientially, with my two best friends being killed, that if Black and Brown men don’t receive a high school diploma, they end up dead and or in jail. So, to whomever reads this, use your pain. God allowed you to go through those hurts to make you better not bitter. Keep grinding and going, and you’ll be better than when you started. I’m rooting for you.
As Principal of Buffalo Public Schools, how do you achieve graduation, career, and college success for so many of your students?
Again, this is a great question. I actually have a book coming out; it’s being published this year by Rowman and Littlefield, called, What Success Looks Like: The Ten Strategies to Increase Graduation Rates for Young Men of Color. A couple of things that I have found through experience and research is that the key component in increasing student performance is there must be a strong leader who understands the community they serve and truly how to do the work. This leader must know their “why,” they must use data to drive their decisions, and they have to create an atmosphere where teachers, students, parents, and all staff feel valued and welcomed. In the book, I detail all of these things in my ten steps and more.
In my book, I give school leaders and future school leaders real practical steps that will guarantee increased student performance. I can say that confidently because when I arrived at the high school, I was working with a graduation rate of 60% and was facing a state takeover. By the time I left the high school, the graduation rate was 87%, which was one of the highest in the school’s history, according to the superintendent of Buffalo; and the graduation rate for Black males was a whopping 93%, one of the highest in the country for Black males!
You started your own company to share your track record? What does MEA do, and how has your work as CEO furthered your impact?
As a company, we help low-performing schools rise to their potential and we train leaders to lead. As a CEO, I have a few beliefs: I believe all students can achieve high academic success, especially Black and Brown males. I believe they can graduate from high school at 80, 90, and a 100%. I point out this group because they have the lowest graduation rates in the country. I also believe that most schools are failing—not because the principals and teachers are horrible people. They are failing because the school leader doesn’t know how to put the right systems in place to ensure school success. School turnaround is hard, but with the coaching and guidance I provide, there should be no failing schools in the country. If you’re a struggling school and on a state list, contact me today; I promise to work with you and show you exactly what to do to turn it around.
What do you most want to say to young Black men who look up to you and hope that they can be like you someday?
Wow. I pray there are some Black men who want to be like me one day! LOL. I would say, “Dream big, dream often, and never lose that child-like faith. This country sometimes is not fair to Black men, but don’t use that as a crutch for mediocrity. You can do and be anything you want to. All the answers to your problems are within you! Believe in yourself. Don’t be afraid of hard work, and if you ever get tired, don’t be afraid to be vulnerable and say, ‘this is hard.’”
Please follow me on any social media site. I post inspirational messages and videos all the time. I can help to lift you up; know you have a brother in me. I am my brother’s keeper!
What is your one word that can heal the U.S. and the world at this time when unity is key for all?
Love. If you’re Christian, or if you’ve ever read the Bible, you know it says, “God is love.” Love is the most powerful force in the universe. Love heals, love delivers, love sets free, love creates, love is beautiful. We have seen moms lift cars off their babies because of love. We have seen fathers fight and kill wolves with their bare hands because of love. I heard of a grandmother who the doctors said she only had one more month to live, but said, “I don’t care what that doctor said, I have two grandbabies, one is a sophomore, and one is a junior; I am going to stay alive to see them graduate high school,” and she remained alive because of love. First, love yourself, then love your neighbor the same way. When we love one another, it takes away the hate and brings us together for one common goal.
Thank you for reading this.
Dr. Marck Abraham
President/CEO MEA Consulting Services LLC
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