Lasana Tunica-El

Lasana was born and reared in the Queensborough neighborhood of Shreveport, Louisiana. He had excellent teachers in the predominantly black public schools he attended and graduated with a degree in history from Southern University in Baton Rouge. The university’s cornucopia of African-American culture, music, activism, revelry and historical scholarship had a profound effect upon his sense of self and nurtured his lifelong commitment to the progress of the black community.

Lasana moved to Atlanta and became involved in historical, philosophical, societal, musical and religious studies that he translated into poems and songs, which he performed solo and with his various bands. His experience as a teacher began when he home schooled his son and daughter during their formative years. Lasana also lectured in Atlanta’s West End community on the history, philosophy and religion of the Moors.

He later enrolled his children into the first charter school in Atlanta because of the progressive curriculum and the significant number of black male teachers. He served three years on the board of Charles R. Drew Charter School, two of those as chairman. Lasana then taught four years at Drew in the pre-kindergarten program and in the after-school SAT program for grades 6-8, under the guise of a spoken word class called Self Construction. Lasana also volunteered in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary teaching Moorish history and religious studies. He graduated from Central Michigan University’s Global Campus with a master’s in sports administration.

Seeking new opportunities, he moved with his family to New York City and taught spoken word poetry at Democracy Prep Harlem Middle School. Educators for Excellence’s mission closely aligned with Lasana’s ideals and experience, and he was elated to join E4E as an outreach director. He’s committed to raising the prestige of the teaching profession and contributing to needed change in American education.