Education

Larry Irvin: A program to empower Black teachers in the US | TED

TED Fellow and education innovator Larry Irvin envisions a world where every child can see themselves reflected in their teachers. With his team at Brothers Empowered to Teach, Irvin is providing pathways to careers in education for Black men, who currently make up less than three percent of all teachers in the US — offering…

Published

on

TED Fellow and education innovator Larry Irvin envisions a world where every child can see themselves reflected in their teachers. With his team at Brothers Empowered to Teach, Irvin is providing pathways to careers in education for Black men, who currently make up less than three percent of all teachers in the US — offering training, personal and professional development and job placement. He shares how their holistic, people-centered approach is changing education.

Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.

The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You’re welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know.

Become a TED Member:
Follow TED on Twitter:
Like TED on Facebook:
Subscribe to our channel:

TED’s videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at

93 Comments

  1. Christian Soldier

    January 28, 2022 at 8:10 pm

    that drive starts at home by noticing a responsibility by the parents . First stabilize the home and give them a sense of placement there and the parents will give direction.

  2. Edgars

    January 28, 2022 at 8:15 pm

    wtf is a black teacher? black magic? 😀

  3. Affinity 4 Disobedience

    January 28, 2022 at 8:30 pm

    I thought there are teachers, bad one and good one , not black and white , but again it looks like MLK dream to treat people aside from their color is not enough anymore

  4. Jim Bean

    January 28, 2022 at 8:39 pm

    All this race talk is pathetic, decisive and irrelevant. Garbage.

  5. sea bird

    January 28, 2022 at 8:41 pm

    BlingBling …….ShinyShiny …. boringBoring…..

  6. Journey To Green

    January 28, 2022 at 8:41 pm

    Ted went woke

  7. Ezma Darlington

    January 28, 2022 at 8:48 pm

    Great, more racism! Just what this country needs!

  8. HauptmannDE

    January 28, 2022 at 8:51 pm

    What about not so blacks?

    • Ben Kucenski

      January 28, 2022 at 10:29 pm

      Are they struggling to see themselves in the wider economy?

  9. Perfectly You Beauty

    January 28, 2022 at 8:54 pm

    For those who want to blather that this is nonsense or racist.. the percentage of Black teachers in American public schools is not anywhere near equal to the percentage of Black students. What is wrong with encouraging and recruiting educators of color so students see positive role models in their classroom who also happen to be the same race? Beyond entertainers and athletes. But by the looks of these comments and so many others it’s clear why people of all races are AVOIDING education programs in droves in this climate.

  10. Jerry Miller

    January 28, 2022 at 9:09 pm

    Pure racism

    • Ben Kucenski

      January 28, 2022 at 10:30 pm

      Put the confederate flag down

    • Jerry Miller

      January 28, 2022 at 10:38 pm

      @Ben Kucenski I am a combat veteran of the organization that fought to defeat the confederate flag and my ancestors on both sides were the ones that physically fought to put it down.

      If you want to fight racism then stop doing racist things like treating people better or worse based on their race.

    • CJ henr1ksen

      January 28, 2022 at 11:29 pm

      @Jerry Miller Did you even watch the Video?. How can you turn such a positive thing into racism. Did you get hit in the head in Combat?

    • Jerry Miller

      January 28, 2022 at 11:45 pm

      @CJ henr1ksen If you want to fight racism then stop doing racist things like treating people better or worse based on their race.

      I gave a positive reply to the racist that was trying to racially profile me. Pushing back on racists such as people that support identity politics and CRT is positive.

  11. Fanesse G

    January 28, 2022 at 9:26 pm

    I see the trolls have already started 🙄 Fantastic talk, Larry!

    • Ex EddieB

      January 28, 2022 at 11:17 pm

      Racist.

  12. Rapscallion

    January 28, 2022 at 9:38 pm

    I am doing this with white teachers aswell.

  13. Drew

    January 28, 2022 at 9:43 pm

    Keep up the excellent work!

  14. Kay Realist

    January 28, 2022 at 9:54 pm

    It’s like we are trying to melt everyone in one pot in the US but now some of the ingredients are being mixed into another separate pot.

  15. Harry Morgan

    January 28, 2022 at 9:59 pm

    Glory be to God almighty after many years, finally i have found joy with the help of DR JADU OINDIN on YouTube, the great herbal doctor help me cure my HSV 2, with the herbal medicine product I ordered. I will forever be greatful to DR JADU OINDIN on YouTube thanks 🙏 herpes gone finally ….❤️

  16. Tark McCoy

    January 28, 2022 at 10:08 pm

    As a teacher, you might want to start by teaching them the difference between “axing” and “asking” someone a thing…

    • Matthe

      January 28, 2022 at 11:38 pm

      The comments here are making me sick, especially yours! Hope you have a really bad day

  17. Nathniel O'Leary

    January 28, 2022 at 10:40 pm

    Yes, amazing work

  18. Mary Hill

    January 28, 2022 at 11:28 pm

    I don’t know who needs to hear this, you’ve got to stop saving money. Invest some part of it, if you really want financial freedom

    • Mary Hill

      January 28, 2022 at 11:28 pm

      Investing for today is priceless because tomorrow isn’t promised, trading bit-coins, gold, silver and crypto secures a better tomorrow

  19. THE SOPHIST QUOTES

    January 28, 2022 at 11:34 pm

    The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda.

    John C. Maxwell

  20. Boris S.

    January 28, 2022 at 11:38 pm

    World Demographics who are in the minority Asians, Africa Europe, & N America, Hispanic, Oceania, Antatctica..

  21. Matthe

    January 28, 2022 at 11:41 pm

    Great Talk Larry! Keep it up!

  22. Mon_ShariB

    January 29, 2022 at 12:53 am

    Props to Black teachers for being the mirror black students need & knowing how to help in ways teachers from other backgrounds will have no clue about ❤️❤️

    • Sarah Beveridge

      January 30, 2022 at 5:22 am

      Somehow I feel this man can have a great effect on everyone, he has an amazing system already and just hearing him speak makes me want to be better. I really hope to hear more from this incredible man.

  23. Mariah Gunn

    January 29, 2022 at 1:01 am

    This is so important. Thank you for what you do and for bringing attention to this.

  24. alexhowell4551

    January 29, 2022 at 1:01 am

    Bro came to the Ted talk fly 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

  25. Big Dee

    January 29, 2022 at 1:29 am

    Black people have been receiving special EVERYTHING for 60 years … Black fathers DO NOT RAISE THEIR CHILDREN…. Nothing will change … EVER

  26. MIFnc12367a

    January 29, 2022 at 1:47 am

    And why not black women teachers?

    • Dieter Koert

      January 29, 2022 at 12:46 pm

      And why the WhatAboutism? This man was talking about one problem.
      Yes, women have it hard too, but it is not what this talk was about.

  27. Garrison R

    January 29, 2022 at 2:55 am

    Teacher? Lol that’s a surefire way to stay in poverty. You want to change the black community, encourage more black students to start their own businesses. People tend to pour money into the place they grew up when they achieve financial freedom.

    • Nhật châu

      January 29, 2022 at 12:01 pm

      @Garrison R basic math( school teacher will teach you this) ; the law , accounting, statistics about the market and how to survey it, business management, stock exchange, capitalism, Cash flow management,… and how machine work if you don’t work in real estate but rather making product to sell. Teacher in universities and colleges will teach the basic of those thing ( you need the basic) and real entrepreneurs tend to come to universities or colleges to have talks and then recruit some of the best student to work for them after they graduate , that the experience students will see and learn

    • Garrison R

      January 29, 2022 at 12:03 pm

      @Nhật châu Uhm. Most schools don’t teach those as a standard syllabus. Students have to opt for it. Which means a significant number of students graduate high school with 0 financial literacy. I’m not talking about university.

    • Nhật châu

      January 29, 2022 at 12:24 pm

      @Garrison R you are not talking about universities ? But I think Larry Irvin does and you don’t mention that in your first comment and that is why I disagree with you , also I want to say that teacher are important so I don’t like you to deny Larry Irvin’s talk just because teachers have low salary . I’m glad that we finally understand each other

    • Garrison R

      January 29, 2022 at 6:01 pm

      @Nhật châu Nowhere did I say that teachers aren’t important.

    • Garrison R

      January 29, 2022 at 6:03 pm

      @Rex Everything Thanks for that, cap obvious. What I’m saying is, it takes $$$ to change a system. Unfortunately for black people in the US, the government isn’t capable enough to do it so the citizens themselves have to.

  28. Randy James

    January 29, 2022 at 3:21 am

    I love the new intro!

  29. El Bicho

    January 29, 2022 at 3:32 am

    I don’t know who needs to hear this but your skin color will get you nowhere. Improve yourself and you’ll go places.

  30. ROOMBONG

    January 29, 2022 at 5:48 am

    Video dari Ted ini sangat membantu saya belajar bahasa Inggris terserah Inggrisnya yg mana aja. Yang penting saya belajar

  31. Gerald Smith

    January 29, 2022 at 5:56 am

    Racist.

  32. Mark Shellem

    January 29, 2022 at 6:01 am

    As long as this race baiting stays in America! Don’t confuse the rest of the world

    • Mahmud Hashim

      January 31, 2022 at 8:03 am

      What sapp him now for help that is the number of him on WHAP sapp..

  33. trukklob

    January 29, 2022 at 6:05 am

    Don’t empower black teachers, just empower teachers… A teacher is a teacher, skin color is irrelevant.

    • Mahmud Hashim

      January 31, 2022 at 8:04 am

      HELLO LOVELY I CAN INTRODUCE YOU TO THE SAME POWERFUL RELATIONSHIP RESTORER WHO HELPED ME TO RECOVER BACK MY EX FIANCEE. HE CAN ALSO HELP YOU GET BACK WITH YOURS AND MAKE YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO BLOSSOM FOREVER…💯💯💯💯

  34. Великий Кіт Шлэппэнко

    January 29, 2022 at 7:35 am

    Who cares

  35. Nhật châu

    January 29, 2022 at 11:07 am

    Great talk , You are so confident and really dominate the stage. Every part of your talk is clear and sharp . I come from a small city in Vietnam and I am studying for a big dream—the biggest contest for student in Vietnam, so it is really good to hear a teacher actually care about student dreams

    • Johnson mike

      January 29, 2022 at 10:14 pm

      Hi my relationship is fixed back again my ex is back to me we loving and happily together, l got help from a great man who brought us back together.

    • Johnson mike

      January 29, 2022 at 10:14 pm

      Whatsapp him for help

    • Johnson mike

      January 29, 2022 at 10:14 pm

      十2348050772031⏯⏯(☉。☉)!…

    • Nhật châu

      January 29, 2022 at 11:15 pm

      @Johnson mike what ? I’m talking about dream and study

    • Johnson mike

      January 30, 2022 at 5:37 am

      Yes you can message him

    • Johnson mike

      January 30, 2022 at 6:03 am

      Yes just message him for help

  36. maddiemaddie702

    January 29, 2022 at 2:20 pm

    I LOVED THIS! This is such an important conversation to have especially in 2022! He’s doing amazing things and I know enormous fortune and great thing are going to happen for him and his programs

    • Sarah Beveridge

      January 30, 2022 at 5:24 am

      He has a beautiful soul, he is already rich with the Lord shining through from inside him, it’s so easy to see his beauty and strength from such a short clip. Don’t you want to see more? I sure do 🙂

  37. NY redneck

    January 29, 2022 at 4:20 pm

    As a straight white conservative male it always fascinated me the way black folks always put such an emphasis on their blackness in everything. No other demographic does this. Blacks talk about inclusion yet always separate themselves by their color. We are all individuals capable of independent thinking. We are all Americans chasing the dream. Let it go and come over and have a beer with me by the fire pit. 😎

    • Nathan Ramirez

      January 30, 2022 at 1:40 am

      you make a good point

  38. J.S[기마이]Varaba

    January 29, 2022 at 4:43 pm

    오늘도 영상 잘보고가요

  39. Björn V

    January 29, 2022 at 4:51 pm

    All teachers should start teaching more skepticism and critical thinking. Because whatever you are doing now, its either to little, or its just no working 😀

  40. Madhu Tv

    January 29, 2022 at 4:53 pm

    Wonderful video

    • Madhu Tv

      January 31, 2022 at 8:52 am

      @Mahmud Hashim that wonderful

    • Madhu Tv

      January 31, 2022 at 8:52 am

      @Mahmud Hashimnicely

  41. A. V.

    January 29, 2022 at 7:06 pm

    Everything gotta be about black. Black this, black that. It’s tiring. And I’m saying this as a grandson of a black man. It has to stop.

  42. Pepe Stock is Soaring

    January 30, 2022 at 12:26 am

    Getting black dads back in the home is more important than anything teachers can do, also get rid of welfare

  43. Sarah Beveridge

    January 30, 2022 at 5:20 am

    Bless your Heart Dear Sir, you are a good man and have a great innovative system, I love to see this, and it inspires me that our world has so much hope left and I cannot wait to see it unfold, I would love to see you speak again, I know I am not young, black or male, but I find admiration and inspiration to be a better person just from this short 6 minute post, I really would love to hear more about you and your students. God bless you and your very special mother Sir, she raised a wonderful human being. Your heart is pure, please let he Lord continue to shine through you and make others better, I see so much goodness in you. Take care!

  44. BattlingPhoenix

    January 30, 2022 at 6:45 am

    Why should we listen to a man in his 30s still dressing like he is 18, giving a speech on an educational platform 0/10 you have no credibility and can’t take you seriously

  45. John Blue

    January 30, 2022 at 9:05 pm

    So much gratitude for this work!
    💙

  46. atenas80525

    January 31, 2022 at 2:57 am

    Fatherlessness leads to lawlessness
    Kids need invested men in their lives, not “males” punching a clock
    KEEP AT IT – YOU ARE FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT

    • Mahmud Hashim

      January 31, 2022 at 7:58 am

      Hello I’m so excited my broken relationship has been restored my ex husband is back after left me for another woman I was helped by someone He can also help you too….

    • Mahmud Hashim

      January 31, 2022 at 7:59 am

      †2348073788494⏭⏯❤️❤️❤️?????????????

    • Mahmud Hashim

      January 31, 2022 at 7:59 am

      WhatZapp hiM NOw🌹🌹🌹

  47. Shirl Smith

    January 31, 2022 at 3:31 pm

    👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

  48. The Big Dawg

    January 31, 2022 at 4:37 pm

    So, judge by color of skin instead of content of character.

    • Redman_10t

      February 1, 2022 at 4:37 am

      @The Big Dawg Technically, it is of great merit to black students to have a black teacher, so yes, it is merit-based.

    • The Big Dawg

      February 1, 2022 at 4:49 am

      @Redman_10t
      How so? How would hiring a black teacher over a more qualified non-black teacher be merit-based?

    • Redman_10t

      February 1, 2022 at 6:27 am

      @The Big Dawg You watched the video right, the guy doing the presentation literally says that having a black teacher makes black students significantly less likely to drop out of school.

    • The Big Dawg

      February 1, 2022 at 7:27 am

      @Redman_10t
      You’re not answering the question. Given a non-black potential hire versus a black one, where the non-black is obviously more qualified for the position, how would hiring the black one be merit based?

    • Redman_10t

      February 1, 2022 at 7:53 am

      @The Big Dawg At this point you are quite literally refusing to listen to what I’ve said. Regardless, one of the main goals of school is to prepare children for the future. Unfortunately black students disproportionately drop out of school for a wide variety of reasons. However, using this video as evidence, we can conclude that black students who have a role model in a similar situation as themselves (such as a black teacher) to aspire to, then they are significantly less likely to drop out of school. Therefore, having a black teacher does more for a black student than having a non-black teacher and as such is a merit.

      Now, I am personally not a fan of affirmative action as I feel no one should be granted benefits solely because of their race (rather, I believe benefits should be distributed by living conditions/ wealth). However, this method is proven to help a portion of the population that is disproportionately struggling, and therefore, should be done regardless of whether I think granting unearned positions is reasonable.

      Also, you’re ignoring the fact that to become a teacher, you require a ton of training and such. Sure there are reasons why one might choose one candidate over another, but all candidates will be qualified.

  49. Vytautas

    January 31, 2022 at 7:05 pm

    Segregated classes and teachers by a skin color, what a great idea! New way of tolerance is a old way of racism

    • Redman_10t

      February 1, 2022 at 2:12 am

      This isn’t advocating for segregation, it’s just advocating for making colored teachers more common.

    • B Z

      February 1, 2022 at 5:22 pm

      Redman,

      That’s wrong because what’s more common is seeing whites pushed out of the workforce and all black employee staff.

    • Vytautas

      February 1, 2022 at 8:05 pm

      @B Z it is exactly what is happening in my work place, especially managerial positions are given based on skin color

    • Redman_10t

      February 1, 2022 at 9:58 pm

      @B Z Do you have data to support this or is this just an anecdote? How do you know that black people are the reason why white people are losing their jobs? Have you considered that black people tend to end up in low wage workplaces (they struggle to receive high wage work) whereas white people tend to leave such places of their own choice as they tend to have better opportunities?

  50. Captain_Context

    February 1, 2022 at 2:35 am

    Oooh black america and their infinite struggles.

  51. Captain_Context

    February 1, 2022 at 2:38 am

    “He AXED ME bout chachroom manegment” Learn to TALK right, first of all. I never understood why black americans have to talk like black americans. Putting themselves at a social disadvantage. What is it… Culture? Is it a culture worth keeping? Nobody else does this.

    • Albus Dumbledore

      February 1, 2022 at 8:15 am

      He spoke more coherently than the vast majority of people I’ve seen try public speaking. Dialect doesn’t make someone a poor speaker, maybe learn how to respect others who speak differently than yourself.

  52. Gerald Smith

    February 1, 2022 at 2:57 am

    Unintelligible. Unqualified. Incoherence.
    He’s To Be Pitied. 🇺🇸

  53. Maximiliano Alcaino

    February 2, 2022 at 5:07 pm

    When he said that Bron is the man I stopped listening

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending

Exit mobile version