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Recruiting & Training the Next Generation:
MEET DEONTRE LOFTON. Advanced Math Teacher, BMT College Fellow.

School had been tough for Deontre and his family.
No one in his big, loving family had graduated
high school. While he did earn his diploma plus
a basketball scholarship to college, Deontre
immediately felt out of place and unprepared once
he got there and left school after two months. A year
later, he tried again at a community college, but
between navigating homelessness and what he calls
“bad habits,” he wasn’t successful then, either. Then,
during a pick-up game of basketball on Father’s Day,
he ruptured his Achilles.
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“I couldn’t work. I couldn’t walk. I had nine months to
think about using my mind and what I was going to
do with my life for the long run. I remembered that I
used to be really good at math. Honestly, without my
high school math teacher, I would’ve dropped out,
probably. She really helped me. Now, 13 years later,
I’m deciding to go back to school full-time to
be a math teacher.”
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A professor at his college connected him with Black
Men Teach. Upon becoming a College Fellow, he
received a living stipend, a scholarship plus additional
application support toward his $40,000/year tuition,
an internship, and monthly gatherings with his cohort
centered on mental wellness and emotional support.
Now a strong student at 33, Deontre takes pride in
tutoring others in advanced math, lending his
voice at government hearings on behalf of
Black Men Teach, and having the time to coach his
son’s basketball team.
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“I love my son. And I really think education is his best
chance of having a good life. And education is my best
chance of having a good life. Being part of Black Men Teach
is a different level of support. There’s no doubt in my mind
that I can make it because of the support I get from Black
Men Teach.”

Leading & Teaching the Next Generation:
Meet Devon Minke. 4th Grade Teacher, BMT Teaching Fellow.

Devon knew he was an educator early on. What he didn’t know was how critical it would be to have support on his journey.
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“In college, I had Keon with me. That’s one of the
things that truly helped me—having that person I
could rely on and lean on and say, ‘Hey, am I the
only one feeling this?’ It was very eye-opening at
first, looking around my classrooms and seeing me
be the only Black male or the only person of color
sometimes.”
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Going from his diverse hometown of Saint Paul to
college in Mankato, where the population is 84%
white, was jarring. Fortunately, in the summer of 2020,
Markus was welcomed as a guest speaker at the
school where Devon was interning.
It didn’t take long before Devon became a BMT
College Fellow. Now completing his second year as a
Teaching Fellow and his fourth year in the BMT
pipeline, he reflects on how that support has
impacted his life.
“I was thinking about grad school, and I applied to
Columbia, Howard, and the University of Minnesota...
but I recently decided to stay and attend the U of M
because I believe Black Men Teach, along with the support
they’ve provided—the space to ask questions and the
opportunities they’ve helped us obtain—has been so
beneficial not only to me but also to my life outside the
classroom that it would be silly for me to leave.”