Oracle Charter School hosts Dr. Ron Stewart in Leader-to-Leaders series

BUFFALO - Oracle Charter School welcomed distinguished speaker, Dr. Ron Stewart, as the fourth guest in their Leader-to-Leader Speaker Series. The series was created by Oracle to recognize and develop leadership skills in their students.

Dr. Stewart holds a Ph.D. in sociology from Howard University and an M.A. in African-American Studies from Ohio State University. He authored the book African-American Husbands: A Study of Black Family Life and numerous articles focusing on African-American men. He founded the African-American Male Empowering Network (AAMEN) at Buffalo State College, where he currently teaches courses on race relations, gender studies, and community development.

The forum opened with an icebreaker quiz on the variety of college degrees available and closed with a student’s question on how Stewart addressed race relations when teaching classes.

The importance of obtaining a good education was a clear theme. Stewart shared his own educational experiences including why he chose a career in sociology, and how his time in high school helped him develop a good work ethic. He stressed that learning from teachers wasn’t enough. Taking the initiative to explore and learn outside of the classroom was equally important.

A self-proclaimed wordsmith, he encouraged students to use the dictionary and read to expand their vocabulary, introducing them to words like sartorial, pejorative, and scatology.

The message delivered by Stewart was that education is the great differentiator; it affects everything from day-to-day communication to income to personal health.

“My goal is to inspire students to have significant goals and aspirations, and to let them know what can be accomplished through education,” said Dr. Stewart.

Oracle students are selected for the Leader-to Leader program based on emerging leadership qualities and the potential they exhibit both inside and outside the classroom. The group is intentionally diverse and represents all levels of academic achievement, performance, and life experience.