I Choose to Stay: A Black Teacher Refuses to Desert the Inner City

Salome Thomas-El is a black man dedicated to changing the lives - and dreams - of inner city kids. Born in 1964, one of eight children, Salome grew up in the Philadelphia projects. But identified early as "gifted," he had doors opened to him that are closed to most. In a media-related job, talking with superstars such as Julius Erving and Maurice Cheeks, he was on the fast track to success. But he couldn't forget his roots, or the children of the inner city. In the late 1980s, he went back into disadvantaged neighborhoods and into the classroom. As teacher, mentor, and in most cases, the only positive male role model in these children's lives, Salome Thomas-El would do something extraordinary: he would lead the girls and boys of his school to victory as they competed in three major chess championships. Reviving the chess club, the Mighty Bishops, Salome taught his pupils to resolve conflict with their minds instead of their fists. They went into regional competitions, to the nationals in Tennessee, and to the U.S. Open in Orlando. Not knowing they were expected to lose, they won. In the years between 1996 and 2000, Mr. Thomas-El helped scores of other schools begin similar programs. But in the same years, twenty of his students were murdered. Clearly, chess wasn't enough. Now in this compelling memoir, Salome Thomas-El tells of what else needed to be done, from implementing the 100-book challenge program, to Saturday tutoring and in-school breakfasts.