Finding the Joseph Within: Lessons Learned Through a Life of Struggle

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Print ISBN: 978-1-54398-538-2

eBook ISBN: 978-1-54398-539-9

It is doubtful whether God can bless a man

greatly until He has hurt him deeply.

A.W. Tozer

Contents

Forward

Preface

I’m Rockin’ for My Hometown

Living Young, Wild, and Free

All I Do Is Win

I Ain’t Mad at Cha

Never Would Have Made It

Forward

In Finding the Joseph Within, Shawn Joseph beautifully illustrates the ebb and flow of our personal and professional lives. He uses the powerful Biblical story of Joseph and his brothers as a metaphor for understanding God’s plan for our lives and to help us reflect upon life’s innumerable leadership lessons.

Shawn’s beginning has roots as far away as the island of Antigua from which his father immigrated, to rural Georgia where his hard-working and resilient mother was raised, to the working-class community of Central Islip in Long Island, NY. There, like so many children throughout the United States, Shawn nearly suffocates from generational poverty and inadequate schools that adversely and dramatically affect he and his family. It is ironically because of education, and the guidance of some powerful, caring Black men, that Shawn left behind a life engulfed by hopelessness.

Shawn details how he literally walks in the footsteps of the likes of Langston Hughes and Thurgood Marshall, when he serendipitously enrolled in the nation’s oldest HBCU, Lincoln University. During the defining years at Lincoln, he experiences a series of events that would change the trajectory of his life.

At its onset, the book reads as an autobiographical, coming-of-age story. However, chronicling his ascent to the superintendency in one of the nation’s largest school districts, the reader learns that this story is so much more. It is a well-told narrative of God’s ordination in and divine protection over our lives. It is a lesson about the unspeakable joy, sometimes pain, and even the doubt and anger we experience along the journey to fulfill our purpose and intertwined personal and professional destiny. This book is also an incisive and necessary critique of the political machinations, systemic breakdowns and human shortcomings that often cultivate dysfunction in school districts, and ultimately contribute to academic failure and diminished life outcomes for millions of children—particularly the most vulnerable.

Bearing witness for more than forty years to the harsh realities of life that poor, black people navigate daily—Shawn Joseph understood the challenges and responsibility of being the first African American Director of Schools (Superintendent) in Nashville. He put forth an audacious agenda to address historic, racial and academic inequities in the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. But Shawn was still at heart simply an idealistic young educator determined to pursue a quality education for all students that would guarantee lives free of poverty and despair. He was neither prepared for, nor expecting, that the injustices—woven into our country’s social fabric—would extend so prolifically into the choreographic maneuverings of a school system.

James Baldwin’s A Talk to Teachers proves as relevant today as when written in 1963. Baldwin’s prophetic address began:

Let’s begin by saying that we are living through a very dangerous time. Everyone in this room is in one way or another aware of that. We are in a revolutionary situation, no matter how unpopular that word has become in this country. The society in which we live is desperately menaced, not by Khrushchev, but from within. To any citizen of this country who figures himself as responsible—and particularly those of you who deal with the minds and hearts of young people—must be prepared to go for broke. Or to put it another way, you must understand that in the attempt to correct so many generations of bad faith and cruelty, when it is operating not only in the classroom but in society, you will meet the most fantastic, the most brutal, and the most determined resistance. There is no point in pretending that this won’t happen.

Resolute in his calling, Shawn was willing to go for broke for kids in Metro Nashville Public Schools.

Shawn’s book, however, should not be characterized as a tell all tome; it is remarkably and refreshingly self-reflective. Every reader can learn much about how we collectively fail to support, and too often knowingly and/or unknowingly conspire against, our own aspirations for children. Conversely, because of Shawn’s transparency, every reader can learn leaders sometimes unintentionally contribute to the amplification of a fragile organization’s anxiety.

Shawn Joseph’s book is honest and inspiring. He splendidly makes the case for greater equity in schools and a more just society and challenges educators and community members alike to stand for children without vacillation. The book gives us cause for optimism, proving that during life’s journey, we are never alone. The pit experience is only temporary.

Shawn’s experiences inspired him to form Nashville Unchained, a movement that discourages apathy by empowering students, families and communities to more actively participate in government in general, and in their school districts specifically. Simultaneously, Shawn begins the next chapter of his life as a faculty member at Fordham University in New York City with a plan to accelerate equity efforts across the nation. It is evidence that when you walk in your purpose and destiny, no weapon formed against you will prosper. In the end—it simply won’t work.

Irvin Scott, Ed.D.

Senior Lecturer,

Harvard Graduate School of Education

Preface

The genesis of this book stems from a recent conversation I had at a friend’s cookout. I was working on my postsuperintendent work organizing community members to advocate for their children in the city of Nashville, and I was on the phone discussing my plans. My barber, who invited me to the party, overheard the conversation I had on the phone. He encouraged me to speak with the owner of the house because he believed he could assist me in my plans.

I introduced myself to my barber’s friend, and he said, Oh, I know who you are. I have a question for you. So, when are you going to write your book? I shared that I was in talks with a colleague at a major university to write a case study of my experiences as the director (superintendent) of Metro Nashville Public Schools and my attempt to lead for equity. The man responded, Man, I don’t want to read no academic book. I wanna know how somebody like you [a Black man] could break through the glass ceiling here in Nashville to become the superintendent? They tried to kill you, and you are still smiling. I want to know your story.

That short interaction put at the forefront of my mind some truths that I discovered over my almost three-year experience as Nashville’s first African American director of schools (superintendent). First, although Nashville is a prospering city in the South, and one of the most tourist-friendly cities in America, people of color are not prospering like in other cities including Austin, Charlotte, Jacksonville, and Denver. In fact, with the exception of the staff at Meharry College, Tennessee State University, Fisk University, American Baptist College, and Vanderbilt, and a number of entrepreneurs on the financial services, health care, and technology fronts, the C-suites of Nashville are clearly void of the city’s diversity. I spent forty-one years of my life living between New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware, so I am used to seeing diversity abound at all levels of government and the private sector. Secondly, powerful African American men in Nashville have been historically publicly destroyed. Both in government and the private sector, there seems to be an infatuation with Black men and a desire to put them in their place. My recent transition from the superintendent’s seat in Nashville reinforces my perception. Lastly, there seems to be a learned passivity amongst people of color in the city. Nashville is the most noncontroversial city I have lived in, and it appears people expect people color to be out of sight and out of mind. If you are successful and a person of color, you should feel privileged and enjoy your place in the higher echelons of life as the privileged talented tenth.

My barber shared, Man, you ought to write a book. I feel like I know you better than others, but I don’t even know your story.

My mind raced. Could Nashville really handle my story? To quote my fraternity brother Langston Hughes:

Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

It’s had its tacks,

And splinters,

And boards torn up,

And places with no carpet on the floor---

Bare.

I got home and I tossed and turned all night long. On the one hand, I understood why my story could be important to this city’s history. On the other hand, my truth could shatter the glass image of the it city, and I was hesitant to be the bearer of an alternative perspective. I already felt like I had hung on the cross for the race as the first African American director of schools for the city. I had mixed feelings about sharing my truth because of a heavy stream of negative social media I received from community members who thought I was race-baiting by expressing my perspective as an African American male.

After much reflection, I thought that this book would be good for the city if it truly wants to understand the perspective of an African American leader who clearly experienced bias in its worst form. In addition, a book that shared the challenges I faced as someone who answered the call of leadership could inspire people to keep pushing forward even when times are hard and could motivate someone to maintain focus on their God-given mission, not their job. Lastly, there was a desire in my heart to write a book that gives honor to God and publicly thanks him for placing so much challenge in my life to allow me to grow, learn, and gain wisdom.

Therefore, after much thought and prayer, I decided to write Finding the Joseph Within: Lessons Learned from a Life of Struggle. The premise of this book is simply this: We all have the spirit of the biblical man of God, Joseph, within us. Joseph’s story teaches us many lessons about how we should respond when people in the world, even our closest friends and colleagues, betray us. When bad things happen, we have a choice: We can sulk or be thankful for our haters for forcing us to take our gifts and talents to higher heights. I have chosen the latter.

It is a fact that God’s love is perfect. If people of faith lose focus or get discouraged because of the hardships experienced in life, then there is no hope for the world. Like Joseph, we may be stripped of our coat, but with faith it will come back three times over. I know that has consistently been true in my life. Today, even in my darkest moments, I can remember the days when I prayed for the blessings I have today, including family, good health, and a can-do spirit. In this book, I will walk you through some of the challenges I faced in my early years, college years, and postcollege years, and as a superintendent. I will also share what I know about my future.

I hope this book serves as a blessing to someone who dares to believe what the Bible teaches us. We are more than conquerors, and as it was eloquently stated in Isaiah 41:10, So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

To protect those involved in both my professional and personal journeys, pseudonyms and alias names have been used for most individuals and locations while maintaining the accuracy of the situations.

Feel free to stay connected with me by following me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @UnchainedJoseph. You can also email me at [email protected]. Lastly, the Unchained movement is a collaborative of organizations that will begin focusing on helping community members support educational policy, engage in the political process, and strengthen economic opportunities for all within the community. Over the course of 2020, we will build the infrastructure to have a positive impact on Nashville and the broader community. You can support the Unchained movement by visiting NashvilleUnchained.com. The website will be continuously updated, and you can follow us and support us there. Enjoy!

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I’m Rockin’ for My Hometown

Central Islip, New York, is a small town in the heart of Long Island. It’s about an hour away from the busy, thriving environment of Manhattan, and it is the place