In 1968, right after Dr. Martin Luther King died, Katie Sample began her work as one of the first African American social workers in the Minneapolis Public Schools. Katie’s father was a student of the great George Washington Carver at Tuskegee. In the late ‘80s, she completed visionary research on racial inequities in school discipline policies. When her first grandson was born in 1988, she witnessed his birth and his eyes full of wonder. Realizing that she could not let another generation go through the low expectations and disrespect of Black children, she was called to start the African American Academy for Accelerated Learning (AAAL).

As retired founder and Executive Director, Katie grounded African American children in their history, culture and values through summer programs, parent education, education conferences and international travel. Her friend and mentor, the late Dr. Asa Hilliard III taught her that children don’t learn through memorizing and pragmatic teaching, but from the “language of the heart,” in direct contrast to the European system, with its over-emphasis on intellectualism and the mind over the heart.

Katie’s legacy of lifelong learning and sharing the strengths of her culture have sparked numerous projects to support youth, parents and community engagement.

Through storytelling and exploration with Elder Katie Sample, we will uncover truths for educators of children of African descent that will remind us of the powerful history of their origins before slavery—and the source of their innate giftedness, personal dignity and power. That’s the truth to tell.