Tyler James Williams Says Lack of Black Teachers Inspired Him to Play One on TV

Ever since it premiered, Quinta Brunson’s highly praised show, Abbott Elementary, has started a great deal of dialogue about education, including a particular focus on the absence of Black teachers in the education system.
In a conversation with Complex while discussing his collaboration with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Tyler James Williams, a lead actor of the series, shared that he himself had never been taught by a Black educator. This inspired him to portray a Black teacher on the small screen.

Tyler James Williams stated: “I remember seeing that tweet and I remember realizing I did not have one at all. When was the first time you had a Black male as a teacher? I had never encountered a Black male educator in any of my tenure in my educational experience, and that was incredibly unfortunate. And I thought about what the difference would be in my life if that had been the case. Gregory [Eddie] off of all of the Black men in my life. He’s my father, he’s my grandfather, he’s my uncle, he’s my brothers.” The star said he hopes his role will inspire more young Black men to pursue a career in education. “I think it’s very clear: if you can see it, you can be it. We know that at this point. Hopefully the success of Abbott leads to more of that, more people who see this and go, “Oh, I can do that.” I remember that happened to me as an actor when I saw somebody who looked like me and I went, “Oh, I think this is something that I can do.” Hopefully, that is the case. The more we show it, the more people will gravitate to it”

Source: BET