Before founding TakeCharge, Kendall Qualls was a little boy navigating Harlem’s public housing with a suitcase in one hand and a front-row view of everything he didn’t want his life to become. At just five years old, he watched his mother cry as she was threatened on the street—and in that moment, he made a vow: “I’ll never be like those men.”
This deeply personal story, shaped by fatherlessness, poverty, and pain, is what ultimately led Kendall to build the movement we’re all a part of today. In a recent feature, Kendall shares the full arc of his journey—from the projects of New York to the halls of leadership—and how those early experiences laid the foundation for our mission: to restore faith, family, and education in America’s Black communities.
“We do not have a systemic race problem in America. We have a fatherless home problem.” — Kendall Qualls
On behalf of everyone at Washington Academy, we'd like to extend a huge thank you to all who attended our August 14th reception! Your support and enthusiasm for our mission mean the world to us as we prepare for our inaugural school year.
We are still enrolling students for our inaugural school year! If you know a family who would be interested in a high-quality, Christ-centered education, please share our website or have them contact us directly. We would be delighted to speak with them.
Thank you for being an essential part of the Washington Academy family!
A crucial conversation on how to restore marriage in Black communities will be held at Grace Temple Deliverance Center on Saturday, August 30th, at 10 AM. Kendall and Sheila Qualls will be there to discuss planting the seeds of change desperately needed in our communities.
This event follows a workshop with 110 married couples in Memphis, TN, last month, with workshops planned in the black communities of Detroit, MI, and Birmingham, AL, in October and November.
TakeCharge is the only national organization working to address the number #1 driver of racial disparities in black communities — fatherless homes by restoring marriage as the norm once again.
Event Details:
Date: August 30, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM
Location: Grace Temple Deliverance Center, 1904 4th Ave S, Minneapolis
You're Invited: TakeCharge Fall Luncheon with Jason Riley
Join us Thursday, October 23, from 12:00–1:30 p.m. at the Minneapolis Club for an exclusive event featuring Wall Street Journal columnist and author Jason Riley. Riley will share insights from his latest work, The Affirmative Action Myth, and offer timely reflections on race, policy, and opportunity in America.
This is a powerful opportunity to hear from one of today’s most respected voices on cultural and economic renewal.
