Bro. Kennel Etienne

Brother Kennel Etienne was initiated into Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., via Beta Alpha Chapter in Fall 2007. He is a faithful Christian, devoted husband and father, and high school history teacher in the Boston Public Schools. Raised in a Haitian Christian household, he always had faith in peripheral view, until the sudden death of his sister and the murder of two friends led to a full pursuit of a relationship with Christ. He got baptized in 2012 and a year later, began attending Highrock Church Quincy. Bro. Etienne has served in multiple ministries within the church and now is a member of the church’s Leadership Council. As a Black man, history teacher, and member of a predominately White church, he commits to helping the church become a true reflection of God’s Kingdom by centering racial justice. Outside of the church, he recently created a ministry called “Head of Household,” where he brings together married men for marital strengthening through fellowship and biblical centered advice.

Professionally, Bro. Etienne has navigated an extensive career in youth work and education. He has served young people through organizations like the Department of Youth Services, Upward Bound, the Boys and Girls Club of America, and Choice Thru Education, and was one of the first co-organizers of Boston’s Sigma Beta Club through the Zeta Kappa Sigma graduate chapter. Simultaneously, Bro. Etienne committed to supporting student learning in the classrooms of Chelsea Public Schools as a paraprofessional. Later, he transitioned to Boston Public Schools, became a Dean of Students, earned an M.Ed. in Secondary Education from the University of Massachusetts Boston, and is now a third-year history teacher.

Beyond teaching, Bro. Etienne has served as the Athletic Coordinator, the Restorative Justice Coordinator, co-lead of Harvard Model Congress, and co-leader of the Men of Strength Club (to address toxic masculinity that often leads to sexual assault). As of November 2020, he is on the advisory board of the Equipping Educators for Equity Through Ethnic-Racial Identity project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is currently the vice-chairperson for the school’s first Black Educator’s Group, and played a key role in the passing of the Boston Teacher’s Union Resolution for Building an Anti-Racist Union. He is a founding member of the BTU’s caucus for social justice unionism, and had the privilege to moderate a district-wide dialogue with Dr. Bettina Love and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi on abolition and anti- racism.

Bro. Etienne aims to live his life as a conduit for God’s work. His approach and style is to go where he is called to serve, and to serve “as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord (he) will receive the inheritance as (his) reward. (He) is serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24)