Just 2 percent of the nations educators are African-American, a staggeringly small number and one initiative is launching to try and change that.

Veteran Philadelphia teacher Sharif El-Mekki is the man who is leading a charge, Fellowship: Black Male Educators for Social Justice, wants mobilize at least 1,000 Black men. He wants these men to show up at school on the first day. To act as an example Philadelphia youth!

El-Mekki said that black educators “were transformative figures” in his life and in a time where it seems more and more young black men are dropping out of school these role models and educators of color are needed more and more.

First 1000 are wanted in 2017 but the movements wants it to triple the number of black men teaching in the city by 2025. A lofty goal but who knows, maybe this will go national, we can only hope!

An amazing initiative, learn more in the video below and on Philly.com.