Today, Blanchard, 33, serves in the office of Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, as the liaison for President Barack Obama’s “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative. The national program provides support to help inner-city boys and young men of color stay on track by creating and maintaining a system to assist them in developing decision-making skills associated with success.
Prior to his current role, Blanchard served two years in the Mayor’s Cabinet as director of youth services for the city of Detroit. He recently authored his autobiography, “How ‘Bout That For a ‘Crack Baby’: Keys to Mentorship and Success.” The book chronicles Blanchard’s life that started with crack in his system, to his navigations through the trials and tribulations of inner-city living involving shady peers, the streets, and many other inner-city-life situations.
On Wednesday, May 25 at 6:00 p.m. at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, Blanchard will be the keynote speaker for the first-ever S.W.A.G. (Students Wired for Achievement & Greatness) Awards. Co-title-sponsored and co-presented by the Michigan Chronicle and Talmer Bank, the event will celebrate Detroit high school seniors as they prepare for college or trade school. S.W.A.G. Awards recipients will receive scholarship grants to help defray post high school educational costs this fall.
“Many scholarship programs are awarded based solely on academic performance, however, the S.W.A.G. Awards were specifically created to ensure that more Detroit students that demonstrate leadership in multiple areas, other than grades, have access to scholarships,” said Hiram E. Jackson, CEO of Real Times Media and publisher of the Michigan Chronicle.
Blanchard is looking forward to speaking at the S.W.A.G. Awards program.
“I love the Michigan Chronicle, and apparently the Chronicle loves me,” said Blanchard, a past honoree of the Chronicle’s 40 Under 40 Award. “I look forward to delivering the keynote speech that I hope will impact people, especially young peo
ple, to make better decisions about their future, regardless of their past or current circumstances.”
Blanchard hopes that the documented turnaround of his life can be a blueprint for success for young people to follow.
“I was born with drugs in my system, which says a lot about my early circumstances,” Blanchard said. “My parents gave me to my grandparents to raise me. Grandma Juanita instilled in me that I was very smart. Whatever she said about me was so positive, and I believed her. She died when I was 12.”
Blanchard continued.
“I was no angel,” admitted Blanchard. “I did all kinds of crazy stuff, but ultimately, I would remember what my grandmother had taught and instilled in me as far as values, principles, and direction. The beautiful thing was when I would go too far down the wrong road, someone would be there to remind me that I was smart, like my grandmother said I was.”
One person who filled the void left by the death of Blanchard’s grandmother was a counselor at Mackenzie High School, who saw tremendous upside to the teenager with extraordinary strength and skills in math.
“My counselor graduated from the University of Michigan and told me that’s where I should go because I was smart enough,” Blanchard recalled. “She said if I went and graduated, I would have many great opportunities in life.”
After graduating from Mackenzie, Blanchard attended the University of Michigan, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economical mathematics. He subsequently was accepted into the prestigious New York City Teaching Fellows Program, and taught math in an underserved community in the Bronx. He soon earned a master’s degree in secondary math education from City College of New York.
For five years, Blanchard led the math department at Holcombe L. Rucker High School, where he elevated the department to the top-five percent of New York schools. He also co-founded Men of Majesty, a mentoring program that gave guidance to fatherless young men.
Realizing that his hometown of Detroit was undergoing a serious transformation, Blanchard felt it was time to return to the Motor City and become a change agent. Upon his return, he co-founded Networkingout, LLC, which produced a large group of professionals committed to fitness activities like, “Run This Town.”
During the summer months, Blanchard taught math classes for the University of Michigan’s Summer Bridge Program. Last year he received U of M’s Emerging Leader Award.
Several years ago, Blanchard met then-Detroit mayoral candidate Mike Duggan. Blanchard subsequently worked on Duggan’s campaign. The victorious Mayor Duggan offered him a Cabinet position, which involved overseeing youth initiatives under the auspices of the City of Detroit.
“What Shawn accomplished in less than two years is truly remarkable,” said Mayor Duggan. “Thanks to his leadership, more than 5,000 young people got to experience the pride of having a job and got a glimpse of what their future might look like. I wish him the best of success with his new book and his continued service to Detroit.”
Recently, Blanchard started Shawn Blanchard Productions (SBP). According to Blanchard, the organization’s mission is committed to making a social impact through sharing powerful stories and antidotes for empowerment. The organization is also home to Blanchard’s mentorship endeavors, where he teaches people how to become effective mentors. SBP is the publishing arm for Blanchard’s new book.
Blanchard reflected on his vision for the book.
“I want people to know and understand that your origin doesn’t dictate your destination,” Blanchard said. “There’s a journey where people can fall from many things in life, such as being a crack baby, or experiencing any other difficulties in life. However, they can still see their way through difficulties. I also want readers to understand the systematic approach to how I leveraged mentorship to be where I am today.”
For more information on attending the S.W.A.G. Awards on Wednesday, May 25, call 313.963.8100. For more information on how to obtain Blanchard’s new book, “How ‘Bout That For A ‘Crack Baby’: Keys to Mentorship and Success,” log on to www.iamshawnblanchard.com.
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