Latin Initiative for Ethics (LIFE) hosted Jahmal Cole, founder and CEO of My Block, My Hood, My City, to speak to the Latin student body during assembly on Thursday. Cole shared his story by highlighting his childhood upbringing, college experience, and how overcoming adversity shaped his future in a digestible presentation to an engaged audience of Latin students.
Cole attended an alternative high school, where his dreams of college were mocked by both friends and faculty, but through his perseverance, he was accepted into Wayne State College in Nebraska, where he walked onto the basketball team. Cole explained his one goal was to “make it to the league,” a phrase he repeated throughout his presentation, describing how it was one of the only options he had to have a better life.
During his time in college, Cole struggled academically at first, feeling the social weight of being the only Black player on the basketball team and facing racism in his college community. Cole’s coach not only motivated him to raise his GPA significantly but had such a profound impact on him that Cole wrote a book on his influence. Cole’s post-college career has included writing books, speaking engagements, and starting his organization My Block, My Hood, My City.
Cole brought much needed energy to the assembly for a memorable first guest speaker of the year. In his final minutes on the Latin stage, Cole fielded questions and left the crowd with a strong 15-word call to action: “What is something simple you all can do on your block to make a difference?”