#HistoryInTheMaking: Mahader Tesfai
We’re pleased to kick off our 2021 Black History Month series with Mahader Tesfai, Manager of East Harlem Tutorial Program’s College Success Program. Mahader is the definition of calm, cool, collected, and creative—this artist-advocate designs works that are a “rejection of one-dimensional views of Blackness. ...an affirmation that we are beautifully nuanced, colorful, multi-dimensional, interconnected.” We invite you to take a couple of minutes to get to know Mahader, then check out his art at Mahader.com!
You've worked in college success programs for almost four years. What drew you to this work?
My passion for social justice and my belief that the youth are best equipped to change the world. When I began my career, I was a workplace and tenants union organizer, advocating with Black and Brown families for equitable pay and housing rights in Oakland, California. While I was organizing with these adults I was amazed by how vocal and receptive their children were to fighting these injustices.
At that point, I shifted my focus to working with youth. Initially, I worked with elementary and junior high students as an art teacher, then started teaching high school students how to build community gardens at school-based health centers. For the last decade I've been working with college students to make sure they are making the most of their college experience, initially with students in the University of California system, and for the last three years with East Harlem Tutorial Program as the College Success Manager.
What do you like most about working at EHTP?
The most gratifying and easiest part of my job is working with students. I feel honored to work with them from their high school years all the way through their college graduation. It's a privilege to be able to witness their personal growth. I enjoy the day-to-day job of assisting them in navigating academic and financial hurdles, and I'm thankful to be a part of their chosen support system.
You're an artist. Does your work with scholars influence your art, and does your art influence your work with scholars? How does one inform the other?
Yes, students definitely influence my art. I spend so much of my time in conversation with College Scholars who are so supportive, excited and impressed when I tell them I have a dual passion for working with them and being a visual artist. When students ask what my art means, I tell them that identity and perception are very important themes for me. As a Black man living in the U.S., I am often viewed, and subsequently targeted, as a threat with multiple negative tropes attached to me. My art is a rejection of these one-dimensional views of Blackness that are so prevalent in the world. My art is an affirmation that we are beautifully nuanced, colorful, multi-dimensional, interconnected, and our history is rooted in love and struggle.
Any words of advice to BIPOC students who are navigating the next steps of their lives during the pandemic?
This is an unprecedented time and this pandemic has disproportionately wreaked havoc on East Harlem families. To my students, I would say; I am amazed by your perseverance and at the same time you don't need to do it alone. Whether you need academic advising, financial aid assistance, or access to social services, I, along with the rest of EHTP staff, am here for you!