David Ledbetter the third child of eight. He has made it his mission to excel throughout his academic career. David is the Co Founder of “Imagine This”, a Carolina Youth Coalition Scholars and Myers Park High School student. He attributes success to one of his favorite quotes, “Be the change you wish to see in the world!”
David knew at an early age that despite the challenges, he was going to succeed in school. Raised by my single mother, David lacked the proper exposure and resources to carry out the task. It was until his sophomore year of high school that he was introduced to his first male educator of color, Mr. Binns.
Mr. Binns represents the 2% of Black male teachers in the county. He connected David to Jason Terrell, the co-founder of Profound Gentlemen. From there David was offered the wonderful opportunity of interning for one of the largest nonprofits in America supporting male educators of color.
Profound Gentlemen is a stepping stone towards success for boys of color.
Not only did David learn about how a successful nonprofit operates, but it introduced to him essential tools needed in order to be successful within his academic journey. With these newly found resources, David was able to improve socially, and academically. During his sophomore year of high school, he created a nonprofit organization of his own, “ Imagine This” : College and Career Readiness. The organization helps high school students from disenfranchised communities pursue higher education.
Imagine This was founded on the pillars of Community Engagement, Health and Wellness, Education, and Career Mentorship. David believes that these are the most effective methods to carry out the mission of the organization. He currently hosts programming sessions every other Monday; however, due to Covid-19 programming sessions have been postponed.
Making a Global Impact!
In August of 2019, David began conducting work around voters rights for the voice of the disenfranchised. Specifically registering people to vote, and educating them on early voting here in Charlotte, NC. It was during the time of the famous Popeyes chicken sandwich release. Thousands of people were lining up to get their hands on the sandwich, so David saw this as a great opportunity to meet the masses where they were.
The turnout was great, and his work was highlighted by the former U.S. President, Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama. David was also featured on local and national media outlets including CNN with Don Lemon, ABC News, Huffington Post, Essence magazine, and many other media sites.
Profound Gentlemen is Preparing Tomorrow’s Doctors!
David plans on studying Biology with a Pre-Med track at Howard University. In doing this, he will be the first individual in his family to attend and complete college.
David ultimately wants to go to medical school in order to contribute to improving the disparity gap for African Americans in the healthcare system.
Jason has worked in education for over 15 years as a teacher, blogger and community advocate. He speaks and writes primarily about the need to improve education for Black boys, particularly increasing the number of Black male educators in schools. In addition to blogging here at EdLanta, Jason is also a featured writer at Education Post.