WHEREAS, The four teachers recruited by Principal Keisha Wilkins at Martin Luther King High School are Eric Butler, Michael Flemming, Denzil Flemming, and Marsalis Chism; and,
WHEREAS, Principal Wilkins worked to implement this in the hopes of empowering the student body and allow them to see a reflection of themselves in the classrooms; and
WHEREAS, Stephen Flemming, school-based teacher lead at MLK and brother to Michael Flemming, worked with Principal Wilkins to provide close-knit support for all of the teachers working together that will allow for better retention in teachers; and
WHEREAS, The reaction of students has been overwhelmingly positive, as more students relate to the collective struggles and success of black males, they are able to gain different perspectives on the classrooms; and
WHEREAS, These teachers take their responsibilities past the school hours, attending students games, supporting extracurriculars, and talking strategies to build and develop relationships to help with all aspects of students' lives; and
WHEREAS, Black men make up only 2% of all teachers nationwide, and in Philadelphia Roughly 24% of teachers are black and of those, 4% are male; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby honor Philadelphia's first group of all Black Male teachers in core subjects, the freshman teaching cohort at Martin Luther King High School, and the staff and administration for prioritizing the issue of underrepresentation of Black Male teachers in Philadelphia
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy be presented to Principal Keisha Wilkins, Eric Butler, Michael Flemming, Denzil Flemming, and Marsalis Chism of MLK High School, further evidencing the sincere admiration and respect of this legislative body.
End