The Martha’s Vineyard branch of the NAACP had a charismatic speaker at their annual celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King on Monday last week. Javier Montanez, superintendent of the Providence Public Schools, shared his own life story — one about the redemptive power of education and generosity — to a packed audience at the P.A. Club in Oak Bluffs.
Dr. Montanez who was born in Brooklyn, New York spoke of a childhood shadowed by poverty and addiction and his decision, at the age of 9, to pack his few possessions and leave home. He arrived in Providence some years later and entered high school unable to read. A child who had dealt with adult issues all his life, he struggled through school unrecognized and unsupported. Eventually he dropped out, but a tentative notion of becoming educated had begun to form in his mind. “What if,” he asked the audience rhetorically, “I could become educated and begin to teach what I learned to the kids like me? And there are many kids like me.”
The first step to realize his dream was to take the GED. “I suffer from imposter syndrome,” he noted. “I can’t believe that I really can be successful. I always feel that anything I achieve can’t really be worth much.” When he received his GED report that he had passed every subject, he read it three times to convince himself it was true.
The passion for education and his belief in its power to change lives was not understood by his family. He recalled them asking him why he was doing this as it made no sense to them, but his desire to learn and to share what he knew motivated him. He made a rapid ascent up the academic ladder noting that he had to do this quickly as he had no money. But his feet stayed firmly rooted in the world of the students who no one expects to succeed.
His mission in life as an educational leader has been to help both teachers and students to see the potential in all learners and to light the path to success for all students. Everyone can learn, he declared. Teachers and students can be educated to expand their notions of learning. The words of Dr. Martin Luther King inspired his understanding of how the learning situation can be either a redemptive life-changing process or the closing of possibility.
“For you will never be what you ought to be until they are what they ought to be,” Dr. Martin Luther King had said.
“I was not seen. I was not cared for,” noted Dr. Montanez. “And so many of our young people are not seen. My passion in life has been to see those students who are excluded from the American Dream and find a way to light the fire of possibility in their minds.
As a principal, and later Superintendent, Javier Montanez believes that a learning community vested in the belief that all can learn and that all life stories are of value is essential to justice.
To a rapt audience Dr. Montanez spoke about the fundamental value of every human being. “There’s no such thing as a person who can’t learn, or whose story isn’t worth hearing. We must find out how they learn and value their experiences and stories in a non-judgmental way. Their lives matter and who they are matters. Each and every person is of value and worthy of our regard.”
Those attending the event were moved by Mantanez’s speech.
“I found his message inspiring,” noted Christy Vanderhoop, a tour leader on the African American Heritage Trail and a member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah). “With the increasing cultural diversity in our community, to hear from somebody who went into high school unable to read and yet went on to receive his doctorate is a message that needs to be heard.”
James Jennings, a member of the board of the African American Heritage Trail commented: “As a black male educator who’s had to sacrifice a lot just to be in buildings with students of color, I connected 100 percent with Javier’s openness about his upbringing, the dire landscape of public education, and the need for people like us.”
Dhakir Warren, president of the Martha’s Vineyard Chapter of the NAACP, observed that in Dr. King’s vision education was a fundamental key to unlocking human potential: “Superintendent Javier Montanez’s powerful story of determination and resilience deeply resonates with Dr. King’s message reminding us that through unwavering dedication and perseverance we can overcome obstacles and achieve our highest aspirations. His journey serves as a testament to the enduring spirit of Dr. King’s dream.”
Dr. King’s belief in the beloved community was well served by this speaker whose life long struggle for justice and compassion for all resonated with his listeners. Many of his remarks were applauded and followed by an amen from the appreciative audience.
