When Claudia Walker requested her Instagram followers to affix her for a bunch dialogue for black dad and mom final November, she did not suppose it might evolve into the thriving motion that’s Black mum or dad group dialogue (BPGC). In lower than a 12 months, the group has grown to 40,000 members, from Northern California the place it’s primarily based, to Queens, New York, with dozens of places starting from giant metropolitan cities to small rural cities in between. What Walker, a proud Spelman Faculty graduate, has achieved with BPGC is join like-minded Black dad and mom and caregivers whereas fostering group. By BPGC, she shares useful assets that enable our youth to be uncovered to a variety of careers and alternatives from top-notch professionals by means of mentors, internships, Zoom chats and extra. And she or he did all this to free!
The spouse and mom of three is not any stranger to offering significant enter to kids. Walker can be the founding father of the HBCU Prep College platform. By this initiative, she revealed a number of groundbreaking kids’s books, together with The ABCs of HBCUs, The ABCs of Black Wall Road And The ABCs of R&B. Right now, she’s expanded her footprint to turn into extra concerned within the lives of our younger folks, and we caught up with the previous instructor simply in time for the brand new college 12 months. For again to highschool, she advised us why she created BPGC, revealed what’s subsequent for this system, and solutions the burning questions she at all times will get from different Black dad and mom about how you can give our youngsters one of the best basis for fulfillment out and in of faculty.
ESSENCE: What’s your skilled background? Inform us what led you to need to feed younger folks.
CLAUDIA WALKER: I graduated from Spelman with a level in English and deliberate to go to regulation college. Finance was by no means on my radar till I had the chance to intern on Wall Road one summer time. I cherished it and ended up spending 4 years in finance after commencement.
Then September 11 occurred. I misplaced colleagues and started to re-evaluate what I needed to do with my life. A couple of years later, I returned dwelling to the Bay Space and took a “non permanent” job in training. That was 22 years in the past! Evidently, I fell in love with instructing and finally grew to become a principal of a community of colleges.
ESSENCE: How did you go from being a full-time educator to an entrepreneur?
WALKER: I’ve at all times cherished writing and have a tendency to maintain dozens of concepts on my laptop computer. As a mother, particularly when my kids had been youthful, I used to be at all times on the lookout for books that mirrored the experiences, traditions, and values that had been vital to us. My daughter got here dwelling from college sooner or later and made a listing of schools she needed to attend and no HBCUs had been on the checklist. Months earlier, I had taken her to go to my alma mater, however I noticed that an occasional journey wasn’t sufficient. That is what impressed my first guide, The ABCs of HBCUs.
ESSENCE: When did you begin Black Dad or mum Group Chat (BPGC)?
WALKER: In November 2025, I posted a video on social media and joked that I used to be internet hosting an emergency assembly for black dad and mom and requested who would convey snacks. I did not anticipate it to achieve a lot traction, however hundreds of fogeys responded. A couple of days later we held our first assembly. Right now now we have 40,000 members.
ESSENCE: Unbelievable. Is this system free?
WALKER: Sure, the group is free. We host month-to-month digital conferences with consultants and share assets, packages and alternatives for households. I am additionally launching a personal group for $39 monthly that may present extra help, assets, and ongoing connections.
ESSENCE: Have you ever had any in-person BPGC conferences and/or occasions?
WALKER: Sure, we had our first in-person assembly this summer time on the College of California, Berkeley. We welcomed 100 younger folks and their households. I am trying ahead to our first nationwide meetup, the place we’ll host mum or dad and baby workshops, activations, distributors and extra.
ESSENCE: What are the highest three (3) questions or issues you hear most frequently from Black dad and mom of school-aged kids?
WALKER: Most likely the most important query is: “How do I put together my baby?” » Mother and father need to know what assets, packages and alternatives can be found for his or her kids and the way to ensure they do not miss out.
I additionally hear from dad and mom who’re looking for a strategy to re-engage kids who’ve misplaced their love of studying or their motivation in class.
And group is vital. Many Black dad and mom elevate their kids in faculties or areas the place there aren’t many different Black faces and fear concerning the impression this may increasingly have on their kids. They’re on the lookout for a group of like-minded households who perceive this expertise.
ESSENCE: Have these questions knowledgeable the programming and occasions organized by BPGC?
WALKER: Completely. Lots of our digital conferences come up immediately from questions dad and mom ask. That is additionally why I created our summer time program checklist, which now has over 500 packages. This summer time, Black Dad or mum Group Chat kids participated in packages at Hampton, Howard, Harvard, Prairie View A&M, MIT, and Alvin Ailey, to call a couple of.
That is additionally an enormous a part of why I am beginning the personal group. There are solely so many issues we will cowl in a month-to-month assembly. Mother and father search out assets all year long. They need to be linked to different dad and mom who’re attempting to present their kids entry to the identical varieties of alternatives.
ESSENCE: Because the founding father of BPGC, a kids’s guide creator, and a proactive Black mum or dad your self, what phrases of encouragement do you have got for different Black dad and mom as they head again to highschool?
WALKER: I’d inform dad and mom to belief one another and keep concerned. You recognize your baby higher than anybody. Ask questions, verify their schedule, get to know their lecturers, and do not be afraid to advocate when one thing is not proper. But in addition keep in mind that college is barely a part of their training. A few of the most vital issues we can provide our kids occur exterior of the classroom, by means of the experiences we expose them to, the way in which we discuss to them, and the way in which we assist them see what is feasible for his or her lives.
I prefer to encourage my kids utilizing issues they already love. My sons love sports activities, so we analyze their favourite gamers. We discuss concerning the sacrifices they make to be one of the best, their confidence, their work ethic, after which we relate that to highschool or the targets my children set for themselves.
I additionally need to congratulate them not just for the issues they accomplish, but in addition for who they’re as folks. So once I see them doing random acts of kindness, I reward them for it. I remind them how treasured and particular they’re. I would like them to succeed, however greater than something, I would like them to develop up believing in themselves and figuring out that something is feasible.