The principal, who grew up in a more middle-class section of Brooklyn, recalled consoling students after a grand jury decided not to indict a police officer in one of the cases that roiled the Black community.

“I told each of them to get up, individually, and say ‘I matter,’” she recalled. “I wanted them to know their place and their value in this world.”

Under the program, Black men working in the criminal justice system, entrepreneurs, and professionals meet with her male students. She has now taken the program into the local community so that more young Black males can benefit.

The principal also organized a mentorship program around the girls called “She is Me.” Women, from celebrities to local business owners, meet with the girls to share stories about their personal struggles and triumphs. The aim is to empower the girls by letting them know that women who appear polished and successful today once faced similar obstacles as they do.

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