North Hennepin Community College’s annual “Why Teach” event in a packed campus hall took place October 9 with students, educators, and community partners talking plainly about Minnesota’s teacher pipeline and the urgent need for more Black educators.
The Why Teach event, now a biennial NHCC tradition, combines keynote speakers, networking, and mentorship opportunities for students considering education careers. Educators said it’s one of Minnesota’s few events directly connecting two-year college students, many first-generation or non-traditional, with the state’s teacher licensure pathways.
This year’s headliners included Minnesota Education Assistant Commissioner Dr. Macarre Traynham, Tracy Byrd, the 2024 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, and Markus Flynn, executive director of Black Men Teach. It’s a student-led program that is held on NHCC’s Brooklyn Park campus.
Byrd, a ninth-grade English teacher at Washburn High School, said the profession must begin with clarity of purpose. “If a person doesn’t know why they do what they do, they’re more likely to stop or change course. But when you know your ‘why,’ those tough teaching days are easier and the good days are even better” he said. He said Black male students need to see themselves in the room and be able to aspire — “I can do that, too.”
Jamill Williams, 36, a North Hennepin student and father of five, said certain statistics cited by Flynn at the Why Teach event hit home and made him realize why it was important for him to become a teacher.
He credited NHCC faculty members, Why Teach coordinator Dr. Susan Moore, and his cousin, Jeff Stovall, a principal in the Madison, Wisconsin school system, for guiding him toward teaching.
Williams started as an educational assistant with no aspirations beyond that position. He has had the opportunity to take the helm and teach for six weeks in a program of aspiring Black teachers. “It’s not about to be easy. He said, “There’s a work ethic and an attitude you have to bring.” The kids bring out a part of you only children can, he said.
Flynn, whose nonprofit recruits, prepares, places and supports Black men to become teachers, particularly in elementary classrooms, argued for earlier and deeper investment. The organization pairs mentorship and financial support with a cohort model designed to keep candidates in the profession.
Research backs up the stakes. Multiple studies have found that having even one Black teacher measurably improves long-range outcomes for Black students, reducing dropout risk and increasing college enrollment.
Exposure to two Black teachers compounds the effect. Those findings, Flynn noted, are a key reason to strengthen the pipeline now.
“There’s a work ethic and an attitude you have to bring. The kids bring out a part of you only children can.”
Byrd said he intended to explore ways to connect Black Men Teach’s elementary- and middle-grades focus with high schools. He believes you’ve got to nurture Black students from beginning to end and equip them in elementary and middle school. Then telling them, “You’re on your own” in high school may not be fair.
He and Black Men Teach Executive Director Markus Flynn discussed possible next steps to extend support into secondary grades. The conversation also touched on classroom realities prospective teachers will inherit.
If the policy landscape is shifting, Byrd’s core message was steady: model humility, keep standards high, and build relationships that stick. He emphasized that because teachers are human, they can make mistakes even if they’re experienced teachers.
He recalled how a recent field trip he organized “got off to a rocky start” after he forgot pre-printed name tags and missed a few bus-roster names. Ultimately, all the preparation had been in vain and caused a significant delay in the field trip activities.
“I told students: ‘This is 100% my mistake.’ You’re not defined by the errors you make, but by how you respond to them,” he said. “There will be good days and bad days. Own them, and move forward.”
Student organizers said the Why Teach event has grown into a touchstone on campus, part pep talk, part roadmap, for students considering licensure pathways, scholarships, and transfer options across Minnesota.
Williams said he left this year’s Why Teach event with practical next steps, and a sense of duty. “Everyone’s important in the building,” he said. “If people know the numbers and see the picture clearly, it changes how they act. Just having that thought can shift the way you treat the next Black teacher you meet.
“The kids are watching you,” he said.
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