Chris Chatmon

Overview

Growing up as an adopted child shaped Chris Chatmon’s understanding of family, mentorship, and the power of community – and drove him to find ways to support youth, especially young Black boys. Chatmon spent nearly a decade leading Oakland Unified School District’s African American Male Achievement program where he witnessed both the barriers Black boys faced and their extraordinary potential. Chatmon recognized that working within a school district’s constraints limited how and how quickly he could innovate and respond to youth needs and passions. In 2018, he founded Kingmakers of Oakland to take his proven approach to the next level, with the flexibility to scale programs, co-create with youth, and build the kinds of spaces young people were asking for. Its Crowns Curriculum, approved for CSU and UC preparatory elective, teaches history through the lens of the African diaspora, beginning before slavery, and Afro Futurism—fostering a sense of pride and deepening understanding for all in the classroom. In KOO Labs, youth gain professional skills in fashion, animation, music production, and media, providing youth with career pathways and creative outlets. Through programs like the Jegna Early Literacy Initiative and The Fellowship Initiative, KOO prepares the next generation of educators and scholars while boosting early literacy and college access. With all 33 first-cohort Fellowship participants graduating high school and enrolling in postsecondary education, and 100% of Crowns students reporting they feel safe and have positive racial identity, KOO demonstrates that when schools create culturally affirming spaces, everyone benefits.

“Ubuntu means ‘I am because we are.’ When young people understand they’re connected to something larger—to their ancestors, to their community, to each other—that’s when transformation happens. That’s when they step into their power.”