As we continue our Profiles in Leadership series, highlighting a few of the many leaders making a difference and impacting our communities, we are pleased to feature Reverend Tyrone Nelson, pastor of Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church in Richmond. We had the opportunity to interview Reverend Nelson on his first encounter with AAD, the challenges he faces as a leader in the liturgical community, and hear his thoughts on leadership and community impact.
Your first trip to An Achievable Dream in Newport News had a lasting and profound effect on you. Can you share a little bit about it?
In 2014, I met with a Senator by the name of Walter Stosch who was involved with An Achievable Dream. He asked me if I had ever heard of An Achievable Dream and invited me to take a trip with him to visit the school. We traveled with Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas and visited the Academy. We greeted the students as they got off the bus, shook their hands, looked them in their eyes, and then we saw the AAD morning program, which I loved. Afterward, we took a tour of the school and learned about the before and after-school programs.
This impacted me because I felt something was missing here in Henrico — seeing that interaction first thing in the morning, hearing words of empowerment and encouragement being spoken to students, seeing students’ visual presentation in their uniforms, watching the community partners greet the students with a firm handshake, and hearing the positive affirmations showed me that there was a spirit to this organization.
The most important part of my initial introduction to AAD was hearing the end result. Stephen Covey wrote a book called The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. One of those habits is to begin with the end in mind. I thought about this when I learned that almost 100% of AAD students attend a two-year or four-year college, enter the armed forces, or pursue a trade. That is the standard we aspire to achieve, and that gives students a sense of hope.
After my visit, I returned to Henrico very excited and I spoke with my school board representative and district, and we met with the superintendent. After a few trips to Newport News to meet with Kathy Edwards, Lee Vreeland, and Walter Segaloff, An Achievable Dream Certified Academy at Highland Springs Elementary was born.
As we continue to navigate such unprecedented times, what challenges have you experienced, and what perspective have you tried to maintain as you approached these challenges?
I’m trying to keep a positive outlook — these are unprecedented times and I’m uncertain whether we will ever return to the way things were. I am keeping the most important thing in front of us, which is relationship building. We’ve lost the ability to gather together without concern or trepidation, so I would like to continue to build relationships, especially for our young people. I couldn’t imagine missing out on a year and a half of school with my classmates, only to return wearing masks and feeling as if things were abnormal. We have to continue to encourage our young people and do what we can for them, our school staff, and our local government.
In what ways are you most proud of your church and the community as you stay connected and uplifted in the long-term? What growth have you seen in your community?
Our church, Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church, is community-focused. Prior to and during COVID, we prepared hot meals every Friday and served our community. We also have a partnership with Feed More, which is our regional food bank. It delivers food to our church, and then we hand it out to the community. We also have partnerships with our local school, Carver Elementary, and with our local Walmart grocery store. Our church has what we call a “Mount Market,” where we purchase groceries from Walmart and hand them out to our community.
We were awarded a Choose Healthy Living grant and it involves churches along the East Coast joining with United Way to educate communities about vaccinations. I’m proud that I serve a church where people care about each other, are not solely inward-driven, but are focused on the community as a whole.
My community is interesting because it’s a gentrified community. In 1956, Interstate 95 was built in the middle of this community. My church is located in the Historic Jackson Ward district, which was at one time called the “Harlem of the South” or “Black Wall Street.” For African Americans, this was the hub of economic growth in the city. When Interstate 95 was built, it destroyed about 700 homes, and now we have one of the largest public housing complexes directly across the bridge from us. So, on one side of the bridge, we have public housing and dense poverty and on the other side, we have a gentrified community behind Virginia Commonwealth University, all within one-fourth of a mile. The challenge here is to continue the work we are doing in our community. Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church is known as the “beacon on the hill,” so we call ourselves “the Mount” — elevated to do the work to care for people who need it the most. And that’s what we will continue to try and do.
You have been the biggest advocate for AAD in Henrico County. What does it mean to you to have AAD in your district?
We are starting to see an impact of the program on young people and we are trying to build it even more. AAD in Newport News has such an incredible history and it has been established for three decades. We’re trying to build that type of culture in Henrico. Initially, the program wasn’t supposed to be in my district, but part of the reason that I wanted a program here was to build a community, establish partnerships, and get the community to see the importance of An Achievable Dream.
Having AAD in my district means maintaining a track record of students post-graduation and establishing connections to invest in them when they go to college with scholarships. We definitely have some work to do, as we are expanding to Fairfield Middle School, but I believe that we can continue to make our schools great. I want us to build the momentum to push students to want to continue to be in the program throughout middle and high school.
The first class of Dreamers will graduate in 2028 in Henrico County. What does that day look like to you? How is that most meaningful to you?
It’ll be a great day because we will have persevered! Having our first class of Dreamers graduate means that the program has sustained itself and survived. I’m hoping on that day that every student who walks across the stage has a plan after graduation day, whether destined for college, a trade school, the military, or something else — to know every student will do something great — that’s what excites me the most.
I can’t wait to share with parents that there’s continued support after their child graduates, that they’re always a part of the An Achievable Dream family after graduation, and that they can sow back into the Highland Springs community.
The Highland Springs community itself is special. We want An Achievable Dream Certified Academy at Highland Springs Elementary to be the “kick start” for students to be excited about going to school and staying in school.
What are you most looking forward to in the future?
I’m looking forward to making it past this pandemic. It’s been tough because my church was supposed to open its doors, but we are still having virtual services. I miss people, I miss the fellowship — being able to give someone a hug, give them a handshake, touch people and gather together. I can’t wait until we can get to a place where we can take off our masks and look at each other face-to-face again.
I really believe in the Eastern Henrico community. I grew up in the city of Richmond and chose to move to Eastern Henrico. I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish in the Varina district and Highland Springs in particular.
I can’t wait to see the continued success of AAD in Henrico County and to say “I told you so” to those who initially doubted us when we continue to move forward and be successful.