Black History Alive Panel Models Excellence and Creativity for Youth 

March 27, 2025

Adorning walls throughout Mercy Home for Boys & Girls every February are portraits of African American trailblazers, from activists such as Ruby Bridges and Fannie Lou Hammer to icons like Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver. The images are prominent examples of the pioneers that moved our country forward and their living legacies inspire our young people, 65% of whom are of African American ancestry. 

Yet while these photographs pay homage to heroes from the past, an event held at Mercy Home during Black History Month focused on learning from people making history and progress today. 

“We always talk about our ancestors as being Black history,” Daniel Nelson, Vice President of Community Care, said. “We always talk about individuals that we can’t touch or see anymore as being the source of Black history. While that is true, there are people currently doing work and currently doing powerful things that our kids need to be exposed to.” 

The event was called “Black History Alive” and featured a panel discussion with Ike McClure and Steven Tucker II, two Chicagoans who have built successful careers in marketing and are models of Black excellence and creativity today.  

…There are people currently doing work and currently doing powerful things that our kids need to be exposed to.

Daniel Nelson, Vice President of Community Care

“Their work, resilience, and brilliance ensure that Black history is not just something of the past but a living, breathing force shaping our present and our future,” Director of Young Adult Programs Joi Basley said.  

McClure and Tucker shared their experiences to give our young people insights into possible career paths. 

McClure opened the panel discussion by explaining that like many of our young people, he grew up in a rougher neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago. And as he got older, he quickly learned that he loved to travel and learn from other cultures.  

“It just opened up my aperture and my understanding of the world,” McClure said. “I learned from other cultures and saw the world is much bigger than just the city. One thing I would encourage everyone is that if you ever get the opportunity to travel, to do it.” 

McClure spent a large portion of his career at athletic wear giant Nike where he worked on projects for NBA All-Star games, the NCAA Final Four, and prominent athletes.   

“Serena Williams has a program called Serena Williams Design Crew where she picked all staff and people of color to design her line. I ran an installation in New York City that highlighted those designers and understanding their thought processes and contributions,” McClure told our young people.  

But despite his success today, McClure’s path immediately after college was less clear. His first job was as an assistant manager at Walgreen’s.  

But later, a part-time opportunity at Nike opened and changed his life.  

“There was another Black gentleman that worked there who became a mentor to me,” McClure said. “He was the first person that I’d seen in a position of power that spoke the same way that I spoke. He served it to me straight and gave me a lot of information we normally don’t get to be successful as people of color. It helped me understand what I needed to do on a day-to-day basis to help my career out,” McClure said.  

I learned from other cultures and saw the world is much bigger than just the city. One thing I would encourage everyone is that if you ever get the opportunity to travel, to do it.

Ike McClure

McClure told the kids that he started by making $9 per hour before becoming a department and general manager for one of the biggest Nike stores in Chicago.  

“I wasn’t served the best card in the deck,” McClure said. “But I had somebody who saw potential in me. It changed my life. It changed my mother’s life. It put me in a position to take care of my family and I got to do it in sneakers.” 

Steven Tucker II, a marketing manager, described his job as someone who “gets paid to tell stories.” At Amazon Music, Tucker worked with Kendrick Lamar for the Big Steppers Tour and more recently created a Super Bowl Commercial. Like McClure, Tucker also worked at Nike, where he parlayed his designer skills to help create the Nike Air Max 97 shoes.  

“I felt like a kid in a candy store,” Tucker told them about his experience at Nike. “In middle school, I was making custom Airforce ones, custom Air Maxes, all the time. So, when Nike came to me with that opportunity, I knew I was going to cook.” 

In middle school, I was making custom Airforce ones, custom Air Maxes, all the time. So, when Nike came to me with that opportunity, I knew I was going to cook.”

Steven Tucker II

Many of the young people in the room are working toward goals. And Tucker told them that growing up, he always had a notebook and pen to write down ideas.  

“The shoe design was something I found really cool,” Julian, in Bosco Home, said. “Sometimes you have to make connections and that was a nice thing to see. A lot of these people came from the bottom.” 

Near the end of the discussion, Nelson acknowledged that every person in the room had one thing in common, that is that they are no stranger to struggle. He asked the panel how they overcame a problem in their journey.  

Tucker described almost getting kicked out of college but he leaned on the people around him for support when he needed it most. He told them that they’re never alone in their struggles, a touching final message for our young people who are at a vulnerable place in their lives.  

“When it comes to struggle, always look toward the community around you, the people sitting to your left and right,” Tucker said. “You’ll never be able to do anything just by yourself.” 

We’re grateful to McClure and Tucker for giving their time and sharing their insights with our young people. And we hope that the discussion inspires our young people to explore how they can use their creativity to excel.