Black Kids Need You to Show Up for Career Day

Studies find students have good jobs in the future when they receive career exposure and work-based learning while attaining their education. Career days happen nationwide at schools, giving students a dose of “if you can see it you can be it” realness. Sure, some kids may see the day as an escape from the academic side of school, but it’s easier to be enthusiastic about career day when the people offering insights into their professions, the hurdles they’ve leaped over, and the milestones they’ve celebrated are actually relatable. So picture this: Black folks from a range of professions packing a majority-Black school to tell students about their careers — and the skills and education they needed to get there.& That’s what I witnessed when I participated as a speaker for career day at Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School, a sixth to 12th-grade school in Brooklyn. The school’s second annual “Success Looks Like Me” event saw over 70 professionals from a variety of backgrounds show up to campus with the hopes of inspiring students to pursue jobs they may never have heard of. “I’ve never seen an event that has captivated the attention of scholars like Success Looks Like Me,” Chuck Jones,...