Sixty years ago, a revolution in public education was jumpstarted, due to the historic merger of the American Teachers Association and the NEA… thanks in part to legendary ATA Executive Secretary H. Councill Trenholm.
He envisioned a unified coalition of educators from all backgrounds improving academic standards for students, regardless of race and economic status.
Sixty years later, Mississippi-based educator Dr. O’Nae Chatman continues Trenholm’s mission… leveling the playing field for all, particularly for young African American men.
As Founder and CEO of Tupelo’s Chatman Consultant Group, this equally visionary author and motivational speaker has changed the game; partnering with public school districts, universities, church groups and community organizations nationwide… building mentoring programs that have transformed methods to achieve academic excellence.
His own educational background, with a degree from Morehouse School of Religion, has been put into good use, with his emphasis on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). Teaching holistically is his guiding principle, especially to inspire young people from marginalized groups.
His crowning achievement is the founding of the Young Kings Gentlemen School in 2021. Created to provide life skills training for young men 8-19, it takes education beyond the classroom walls. Dr. Chatman’s goal is to instill confidence, leadership skills, and a sense of purpose… which he feels goes hand in hand with classroom learning.
From grooming, maintaining a proper wardrobe, to cooking classes… even learning to change a flat tire… these simple, but important tasks have gotten results, in the form of increased reading levels and test scores. O’Nae Chatman believes young people can receive knowledge if they have knowledge of self and are prepared to seize opportunity when it knocks… stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.
Dr. Chatman’s philosophy has become a national model; these resources are being adopted in schools from Mississippi to New York to California. And Chatman himself has been recognized as a forward-thinking education innovator, for which he’s received the NAACP Humanitarian and Leadership Award, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major for Justice Award.
Chatman has become one of America’s most sought-after lecturers, spreading the “Gospel of envelope-pushing Education” through conferences and hands-on workshops. But he doesn’t do what he does for the accolades… O’Nae Chatman, like H. Councill Trenholm before him, does it out of his firm belief that merging ideas from a diverse group of educators and non-educators alike, can make a difference in a child’s life.
The NEA Human and Civil Rights Awards are proud to honor Dr. O’Nae Chatman as a member of the family of educational pioneers.
