Back to School season is in full swing so Black Like Vanilla wanted to take this opportunity to highlight Black people working in education with our “Black to School” spotlight, highlighting all of those hard working black teachers, professors, administrators, counselors, and so on, who play such a crucial role in developing our future generations. We see you! We appreciate you! We support you!
Today we acknowledge Dwann Brown, Education Advocate for his company Breakthrough Advocacy, an organization that advocates for parents of students, including those requiring IEPs (Individualized Education Program), to get their child resources and accommodations at school to help them reach their highest potential as a student. Born, raised, and currently residing in Los Angeles, Dwann has been in this field since 2009. In addition to being an Education Advocate, Dwann has also served as a tutor, drum instructor, basketball coach, and mental behavior counselor. It was Dwann’s experience working with “at-risk youth” where he noticed correlation between behavior and classroom placement, and how special needs children were ignored. This motivated him to start Breakthrough Advocacy.
Dwann’s greatest reward in working in education is running into former students, seeing them and their families with grow and win. Dwann understands the uphill battle these families face. As an advocate, Dwann fights to “get the school districts to do right by the child. I’ve never lost. Every time I sit down with these schools, I work with them on tailoring an education plan, and accommodations that best fits the needs of my clients.”
Challenges Dwann faces working in education, in particular mental health work, is the emotional attachment he has for the work he does, knowing that he can not help everyone. “As an advocate, it is important to review school records to get a full picture of what the student is experiencing. When I read what some of these students go through in class, there is no wonder they are having behavioral outbursts. It is heartbreaking to not only watch students I have worked with go back into depraved environments but also to see how much some of these school screw over your children.”
Through his work in education, Dwann hopes his students “love themselves, think for themselves, and trust themselves. I want all my children to know they are more than enough to overcome any situation they are faced with. I teach them how to tap into that. I want to leave them with tools to access those internal gifts.” In addition, Dwann also encourages parents to “pay close attention to areas in school your child may be struggling with. As a parent trust your instincts. If you think something is wrong, there probably is something wrong. Do not be afraid to get your children an education assessment. There are resources available to help them if they are failing or struggling in any area.”
For more information on resources to help your child reach their highest potential in school, please visit breakthroughas.org.
Thank you Dwann for your selflessness, sacrifice, and dedication. I am sure those children will remember you and the impact you made in their lives as they grow up. They are so lucky to have you!