On February 17, Lower Merion School District Superintendent, Khalid Mumin, launched a new personal Youtube Page. His first (and so far the only) video on the site is called Dr. Khalid Mumin: The Problem Child.
“Problem Child: Leading Students Living in Poverty Towards Infinite Possibilities of Success,” is the name of a book Mumin wrote, which was published in 2020.
The polished, professionally edited video begins with Mumin in a barbershop, getting a haircut. Then it cuts back and forth between shots of a depressed urban area, and Mumin speaking to the camera, describing Logan, the neighborhood where he was raised. Mumin says it is “one of the most underserved communities in the city of Philadelphia.”
He talks about having had “a joyous childhood of trials and tribulations, and just dealing with some of the ills of poverty.”
Mumin also discusses “competing forces” of growing up in poverty.” “Education,” is what he calls “the long-term goal.” He contrasts that with “the short-term ills … “seeing drug dealers with fancy cars.” “Sometimes,” says Mumin, “you could eat that poison and become a victim of the streets.”
There’s a confessional moment when he recounts the time when “I was standing in front of a judge as a juvenile offender. I was truant. I had lots of discipline in regards to suspensions. And the judge said to me ‘You’re a mess.’ “
“You use your story as the bait, as the motivating factor – for your children,” Mumin says.