From Reform to Revolution: The Kingmakers of Oakland Story

Chris Chatmon in Conversation with Adéniké from BLACSpace Cooperative.

What happens when education becomes a tool for liberation instead of assimilation?

In a powerful and deeply personal conversation, Chris Chatmon, Founder and CEO of Kingmakers of Oakland, sits down with Adéniké to unpack the movement, mission, and history behind this nationally recognized organization that is transforming the lives of Black boys through education, culture, and healing.

Chris shares not only the origins of Kingmakers, born from the systemic failures he witnessed as both a student and a father, but also the spiritual and strategic vision required to build something entirely new. From cultural re-centering and Ancestral Intelligence to rites of passage, hip-hop pedagogy, and community-rooted leadership, this interview is a masterclass in what it means to lead with both a strategic mind and a spiritual compass.

“Black boys are not broken. The system is.”
– Chris Chatmon

This isn’t just about educational reform.
This is about revolution.
This is about remembering who we are.

It’s about building schools that feel like sanctuaries, centering Black identity in the curriculum, and holding young Kings to a standard of love, expectation, and cultural truth.

From leading a multi-million dollar organization with his sons by his side, to staying grounded through the love of his wife, LaShawn, Chris shows us that this work is not a job. It’s a calling.

Thank you, BLACSpace Cooperative, for highlighting the importance of the work we do.

Want to be inspired, challenged, and called in?
  Read the full conversation now and share it with someone who needs to hear it:
Link: https://www.blacspace.coop/theblacblog/kingmakers-of-oakland

Let’s amplify this movement.
Let’s support Kingmakers.
Let’s reimagine education. Together.