Mother · medicine
Representation creates access.
Andre's mother became the first Black woman to graduate from Jefferson Medical College and later the first Black female anesthesiologist in Cartersville, Georgia.
Black History Month 2027
Black history didn't end. You're living the next chapter.
Former NFL player, author, and professional student speaker Andre Fluellen brings Black History Month out of the textbook and into students' own lives through a high-energy experience about identity, expectations, mental health, resilience, and building a future bigger than their circumstances.
Former NFL Player
Author
Professional Student Speaker
The NFL hook
First, let them see who just walked into their school.
Before Andre Fluellen became a professional speaker, he spent eight seasons in the NFL.
The jersey opens the door.
The message does the work.
The twist
Andre spent years hiding part of his own Black History.
Andre grew up in an upper-middle-class Black family. For years, he did not like telling people. He had unconsciously started believing that struggle made a Black story more authentic.
Then a student asked him, “Sir, are you from the hood?” His answer was simple: “No, sweetie. I'm not.”
His parents and the generations before them fought through barriers so their children would not have to experience everything they experienced.
The realization
It was the victory.
Sometimes progress looks like your children not having your story.
Every generation should not have to survive the same battle. Black History Month honors what came before and challenges students to ask what will exist because they were here.
What will exist because you were here?
A legacy of firsts
Before the NFL, there was already a legacy.
Andre did not create the opportunities that allowed him to become an NFL player from nothing. He inherited a standard — and now students are challenged to ask what standard they will leave.
Father · service
Ownership preserves history.
Andre's father served in an early integrated Marine battalion and became one of the first Black business owners in Central Square in Cartersville.
What standard are you inheriting?
What standard will you leave?
The core message
Common does not mean normal.
Poverty may be common.
Excellence is normal.
Chaos may be common.
Peace is normal.
Low expectations may be common.
Greatness is normal.
Failure may happen.
Failure doesn't get to name you.
Students do not have to confuse what they see frequently with what they should expect for their own lives.
Mental health + identity
The stories we believe about ourselves matter.
Students are constantly receiving messages about who they are, where they belong, what success looks like, what they are allowed to feel, and how tough they are supposed to be. Andre helps them question those inherited messages.
Identity
See yourself as capable of excellence.
Expectation
Raise the standard you carry forward.
Resilience
Separate circumstances from destiny.
Legacy
Think about what your family will inherit from you.
You might not come from a rich family.
But a rich family must come from you.
Rich in opportunity, education, health, peace, relationships, ownership, knowledge, expectation, and possibility.
NFL → family → student
History becomes powerful when students can find themselves inside of it.
01
The NFL
He made it.
02
The history
He didn't make it alone.
03
Them
Neither will I.
Speaking reel
See what happens when the message hits the room.
The football highlights get students excited. Now watch Andre connect with them.
The room after the story
History feels different when students can see themselves in the room.
The message lands through real connection: a student seen, a question asked, a future made possible.
What students walk away with
A standard they can carry forward.
Identity
Who I am is bigger than stereotypes, circumstances, or other people’s expectations.
Standard
I get to decide what becomes normal in my own life.
Resilience
What happened to me does not have to determine what happens next.
Legacy
My choices can change what the generation after me inherits.
This is Black History. The lesson is human.
The questions belong to every student.
What did the people before me overcome? What opportunities did they create? What patterns should end with me? What will the people after me inherit?
Explore The Crisis We CreatedFebruary availability
Don't just teach them Black History. Challenge them to create what comes next.
Black History Month dates are now being scheduled. Schools and districts interested in February programming should begin the conversation early.
Check February AvailabilitySchools • Districts • Conferences • Organizations
Check February availability.
Tell us about your students, your date, and the experience you are planning.
School and district programming
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