How many Black teachers have you had? Ask yourself or your children, and data shows, the answer is likely "one" or "none." Across the country, and especially here in Washington, there’s a critical shortage of diverse teachers. In a Spanaway Middle School classroom, there’s something you won’t see often in the school district. “One of my students during COVID, he goes, 'Mr. Young, I ain't trying to be racist, or rude or anything, but you're my first Black teacher ever,'" said Hakeem Young, math teacher and football coach. "And I kind of just was shocked about that. But I also thought about, I was like, 'Well, I've been in his shoes,' so it makes sense." Young said he does not recall having any African American teachers growing up. Ask around today and that’s still a pretty common answer. “I've never had any Black, African male teachers in my life,” said Jericho Martin, a 13-year-old student of Young’s. “One," a group of Mr. Young’s study hall students told KING 5. "One. Just Mr. Young." According to the Black Teacher Collaborative, Black teachers make up just 1.3% of all educators in Washington. U.S. Department of Education data showed that’s far below the 7% national average of black teachers nationwide. “It just shows that you know, there's not very many of us," Young said. "And then when they do run across some of us, we can make an impact." Young said lack of representation means many kids never consider education as a career. “I see athletes, the rappers, musicians, that's what we see a lot of growing up," Young said. "And that's where we kind of flocked to. So when they say, 'be an educator,’ it's hard to envision that sometimes." READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.king5.com/article/news/community/facing-race/washington-black-teachers/281-3334db02-a712-4d79-89fb-002bad7ecc74