When he was a youth, Dennis Daniels would stay up late at his Hazlehurst home, waiting for his mother to finish her shift at the Sanderson Farms chicken plant. Working the chicken processing assembly line, Shevia Green would often get cuts on her hands.
“She and my dad separated when I was in the 7th grade. She was taking care of us on a minimum wage salary,” Daniels says of his mother. “It would hurt me to see her go through the things she was going through. She went without a lot for us. I knew then that I didn’t want to work in a factory all my life, that I would have a profession.”
In fact, he’s had two professions – educator and recording artist. Daniels is currently superintendent of Oakley Development Center, a state-operated juvenile correctional facility. Previously, he was a member of the music group, 55 Boys, artists best known for the early 2000’s hit, “Monkey Swang,” and he occasionally still records. In between his jobs, Daniels always found time for education. On May 2, he received his Ph.D. in Education Leadership during graduate commencement exercises at Jackson State University.
“I wanted to go back and do something for my mother. That was my main motivation for getting my education,” he says. “My mother and my father will be in the audience when I get my doctorate. It’s important for a young, black man to have both parents in the same place on such a special day.”
Daniels’ special day comes after years of hard work, both on the stage and working with one of two state facilities that deal with troubled youth. Daniels was ensuring the facility maintain its accreditation while pursuing his Ph.D.
“I went back to school for the higher degree after seeing the impact my leadership had on the youth at the facility. They were actually passing the SAT, getting their GEDs and going back to school and graduating. We put SMART boards in every classroom and built a technology center. I saw so many successes,” Daniels said.
But he wanted to do more and he believes his Ph.D. will help him realize his vision of opening at least three residential schools around the state for youth who leave Oakley, but do not have a stable environment awaiting them on the outside.
“My goal is to get residential schools established on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, in the Delta and in central Mississippi. If these students can transition to residential schools, they can get access to the resources they need to be successful,” Daniels said.
At Oakley, Daniels stresses education to the youth. He holds himself up as an example, having received all four of his degrees from JSU.
“While I was working on my bachelor’s, I would work in the summer at lumber yards, at Sanderson Farms or do lawn work,” he says. “I got my master’s immediately after. At the time, I actually wanted to be a psychologist. I ended up a therapist at Oakley, I did that for awhile, and then I started to get promoted. I earned my specialist degree in 2005.”
Jim Maccarone, director of the Division of Youth Services for the Mississippi Department of Human Services, described Daniels as “dedicated, focused and driven.”
“He’s an administrator who puts the needs of the students as a top priority,” Maccarone said. “He is able to build the one-on-one rapport to meet them at their level and to inspire them to do better in the education field.”
Somewhere in between earning degrees and motivating students, Daniels also was playing gigs with his music group.
“I would take my books on the road. The managers would put me in a room and make sure nobody would bother me while I was studying,” he says.
Daniels won Jackson Music Awards’ “ Hip-Hop Entertainer of the Year” in 2011. He won “Song of the Year” in 2002 for “Monkey Swang.” He’s performed with Lil Boosie, Webby, and K-Ci and JoJo.
Since his 2011 award, he’s been moving away from performing. He also tells his sons, 15-year-old Jacori and 19-year-old Dentay, to avoid the music business.
“I’ve chosen what I want to do. I had to choose. I was being recognized as a person who could change, but I had to change, too. I wanted to be a person of integrity on the other side. The music I perform isn’t vulgar or damaging to the ears. It’s just that I’ve outgrown it, mentally.”
Daniels’ long-term goals include global research. He’d like to go to Afghanistan and work with the school system there.
“I didn’t wake up wanting to be a principal or assistant principal. It’s something God called me to do,” Daniels says. “I love challenges. He challenged me to do this. I try to make myself the best in my craft. I go to school to better myself.”
Shelia Byrd
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