Dr. Curtis Lewis named Black History Month Game Changers honoree

DETROIT – Dr. Curtis Lewis works to provide young Black men with male role models in the classroom.

A native of Chicago, Dr. Lewis was an undergraduate at Michigan State University before teaching grade school in Lansing.

“I started as a teacher, then ran some alternative programs for students who were expelled,” Dr. Lewis said. “That work actually sparked my interest in going to get my doctorate because I felt there was some issues that we need to address in educational system.”

Dr. Lewis is this year’s third Black History Month honoree in the Ilitch Sports + Entertainment Game Changers series, which celebrates community members making a profound difference in Detroit. In partnership with Comerica Bank, the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers recognize one Game Changers honoree per week during select months throughout the year to receive a $1,000 grant dedicated to the charity of their choice.

After attaining his PhD from MSU, Dr. Lewis was the founding principal at a school in Detroit now called University Prep Art and Design Elementary. At that point, Dr. Lewis began to emphasize diversity amongst his teaching hires to get the best results for the school.

“It’s important for me to have the best, highly qualified teachers in the school for our children,” Dr. Lewis said. “I did that work and noticed that it was a high number of men that were in my school at the elementary school level, which is unusual.”

Realizing there was a gap to fill in the resources for and amount of Black male teachers, Dr. Lewis created the Black Male Educators Alliance (BMEA), while continuing his work as a principal.

BMEA recruits and enhances the skillset of Black men in southeast Michigan pursuing education. In an industry that employs more women teachers than men, Dr. Lewis said he believes it’s important for male teachers to set an example for young men in the community.

“You’ve got to see yourself in people who you look up to, who are around you, so that you see this as a possibility,” Dr. Lewis said.

Dr. Lewis left the K-12 space in 2022 to focus on BMEA full-time and serve as assistant professor and the Director of the Master’s in Teaching and Curriculum Program at MSU. With additional funding, Dr. Lewis has expanded BMEA.

“We have expanded our focus to working with schools to create laboratory spaces for all children, and we have teacher and principal fellowships,” Dr. Lewis said.

Another initiative BMEA has started is the Youth Leadership Development Program (YLDP). Using research from a Lansing mentoring program that Dr. Lewis directed in 2006, the YLDP pairs younger males with male high schoolers for field trips to meet business professionals and local college professors.

“Kids are feeling more confident in who they are. They're gaining confidence, academic confidence,” Dr. Lewis said. “They're socially and emotionally able to navigate their emotions better to figure out ways to deal with conflict and anger and frustration. We've been noticing they have a sense of belonging, and therefore they're more confident, which means they're engaging more, which is leading to less disruptions and more academic engagement.”

Dr. Lewis is at the forefront of an education revolution in metro Detroit, and Ilitch Sports + Entertainment is proud to recognize him as a Game Changers honoree during Black History Month.

"Being recognized as a Game-Changer is a great honor! I'm looking forward to, and I want to play a huge role in, making this one of the best places to educate children,” Dr. Lewis said. “Where we are thinking innovatively and creatively around how we engage kids in the learning process.”