The Power of Presence: How One Black Male Teacher In Newark Impacted the Next Generation of Iota Phi Theta

For Asa Mitchell, a proud member of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., the seeds of leadership, brotherhood, and service were planted long before he ever set foot on a college campus. They were sown in a 5th grade classroom at William H. Brown Academy in Newark, NJ, by a Black male teacher who showed him what was possible.

“When I was in middle school, everybody loved Mr. Oden,” Mitchell recalls. “He was one of the coolest 5th grade teachers in the building.”

But Mr. Oden wasn’t just popular, he was a rarity.

“Being from an urban area like Newark, NJ, he was the first African American male teacher I ever had,” Mitchell says. “He was a diamond in the rough because I had also never seen a Black male who majored in math. That’s big because it’s very uncommon.”

Mr. Oden wasn’t content with just teaching during school hours. He invested in his students far beyond the classroom.

“He took a liking to a certain group of students including myself and began mentoring us, teaching us about college and fraternity life, meeting with us weekly after school to keep us out the streets,” Mitchell shares. “He played somewhat of a father role for those of us who came from single-parent households like myself.”

That kind of consistent mentorship—the type that doesn’t seek applause but has generational impact—shaped Asa’s life trajectory.

“Those decisions he made paid dividends, and that can be seen by the effect his mentorship has had on me personally,” Mitchell affirms. “I am now an educator myself, and a proud member of our illustrious organization, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.”

Recently, Mitchell shared a photo with Watch The Yard that speaks volumes. In it, he stands alongside Mr. Oden and two other men who were once students in that same middle school classroom. Today, all three have followed in their mentor’s footsteps, each of them now proud brothers of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.

“All this to say, you never know how the decisions you make in life can inspire others.”

Stories like Asa’s remind us why Black male educators matter, why mentorship matters, and how one teacher’s presence can spark a legacy of purpose, achievement, and brotherhood that reaches far beyond the classroom.