Meet Jaelon T. Moaney

We were lucky to catch up with Jaelon T. Moaney recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jaelon T., we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

I’m from and, decidedly of, the Maryland Eastern Shore.

Situated on the Delmarva Peninsula, this estuarine watershed is the largest in North America and among the most productive ecosystems on earth—creating more organic matter each year than comparably-sized areas of forest, grassland or agricultural land according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Focal to this dynamism is an ever-present notion of being liminal: fresh and salt water mix, yielding brackish tributaries; marginal, low-lying landscapes whose sight lines blur distinction between land and ocean; sea level rise that radically transforms habitats that were once safe into volatile environs; and palpable humidity that won’t quell drought but smothers like a blanket. Although one of the original thirteen colonies, the realities of a border state in the United States only introduces further civic and social nuance to religion, language, music, foodways, politics and culture.

My ancestors’ roots in this region reach back to the early 1770s. Each generation of the family has been grounded in a deep sense of place and faith; whether the tempests be systemic or natural, both of which have fueled remarkable examples of ingenuity that I draw upon daily. For example, establishing the only American village founded by formerly enslaved Civil War soldiers and free persons, as well as the earliest free Black neighborhood in the nation. Resilience has been a prerequisite for survival and loved ones have made sure that I, too, consider this quality essential.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’ve leaned into my purpose by expanding access to opportunity in rural and minoritized communities. Serving as an unwavering champion of equity, traditional knowledge and ingenuity across the learning continuum truly lifts my spirit. After launching a career on Capitol Hill as a congressional staffer and policy advocate, I’m now the Deputy Director of Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience.

Moved by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals’ landmark Gary B. v. Whitmer decision in 2020, I joined my wife and sister in creating a revolutionary think-and-do tank: The Needle’s Eye Academy. As a POC-founded and community-based non-profit organization, the Academy is grounded in and emboldened by its unwavering commitment to multinational, multilingual diasporas with enduring legacies of systemic and institutional literacy suppression. Through intensive, immersive and curated programming which serves as the connective tissue between texts and lived experience, partnerships with local public school districts, agencies and thought leaders center reimagined canons as well as disrupt conventional means of amplifying underrepresented narratives and futures. These efforts to hone interdisciplinary skills and lenses of Maryland Eastern Shore scholars who identify as members of the Global Majority aim to honor the luminaries who came before.

Appointed to the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture by the first Black Governor in the State’s history, I’m proud to steward the statewide book drive combating erasure and censorship as well as serve on the Maryland Humanities One Maryland One Book selection committee. However, I neither arrive at this work nor effectuate change alone. The Academy team is replete with nation shapers and culture makers whose layered identities range in geography, heritage, race, gender and more—each called to the work of creating a more equitable society for all.

A logo conveys innumerable messages, and the logo of the Needle’s Eye Academy is a testament to the power of place—it was built by the Eastern Shore, for the Eastern Shore. Encircling the crest are leafs which honor the White Oak (Quercus alba), Maryland’s State Tree and exemplified by the Wye Oak in Talbot County. Atop the crest are our two defining tools of agency: a threaded needle and a key. Our name was inspired by Gil Scott-Heron’s 1971 Pieces of a Man side-two feature “The Needle’s Eye” and these united symbols reflect the Academy’s commitment to equipping change agents for perseverance. The latin inscribed within each book—consuere—is a verb that translates to sew together, stitch, join or devise. Focal to The Academy’s mission is not only working at the fraying seams of society but also weaving new fabrics where necessary. Last but not least, our colors: green embodies a harmony of health and balance; gold uplifts enlightenment; and brown grounds longevity and endearing wisdom.

Represented among the 2024 4.0 Schools Tiny Fellowship 128-member cohort of education entrepreneurs, the Academy remains innovative. Ranging from realizing rural MD’s first commitment to the Little Free Library Read in Color® pledge to sponsoring a full-ride scholarship for diverse attendees of the prestigious Cherry Tree Young Writers’ Conference at “the largest undergraduate literary prize in America, more than the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award combined” to launching the state’s first youth literary arts laureate program, the Academy keeps laser focus on authentic, inclusive paths forward.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Listening to hear, lifelong learning and accountability are three qualities that have been the most impactful in my journey thus far. All of which stem from a deep-seated desire to have a good influence on the planet and its people.

My counsel to folks earlier in their own journeys invested in improving on these is threefold:

—With countless avenues for voice, spaces where the priority is to truly see and hear others are seldom. Embrace opportunities to address challenges, and offer genuine help. Many shy away from difficulties, but problem-solving will grant exposure to others’ vulnerability and insight(s). In seeking out turnaround situations that might otherwise be avoided, your reputation as a valuable, trusted partner will be contingent upon how well said feedback is processed and/or the solution resonates rather than performative action. Humility is a core element of this quality, and it will ensure sustainability in the face of life’s difficulties and unpredictability.

—There is always room for growth. Schedule time each day to think about your goals and strategies towards achieving them. Evaluating all of your options and finding the right course of action for each goal is invaluable internal, and external, work. Also, take time to write. Writing can be dually leveraged to crystallize and integrate your thoughts. Attempt making a list of your best ideas, and incorporate referring back to them into your routine. This practice, in addition to a yearning for new knowledge and skills over a lifetime, will strengthen your capacity for fixing things, correcting mistakes or overcoming weaknesses.

—Without sacrificing effectiveness in the present, regularly pause to envision what you want to accomplish in the coming days, months, years, or decades. Thinking in terms of possibilities will increase your ability to recover from setbacks, pain points, blunders and even crises. While doing so, clarify these visions for yourself, your colleagues and your loved ones. Each person within your support system, including yourself, will have a role in ensuring you lead a balanced and aligned life. Fulfilling your commitments will establish a pattern of dedication and anchor respect.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

Yes, we are looking for authentic, collaborative partners to support our mission of building a more diverse and inclusive literary future on MD’s Eastern Shore to fruition.

In particular, we welcome support in our effort to ensure every historically diverse community in the Chesapeake Tidewater region has a sustainably-stocked Little Free Library committed to the Read in Color® pledge, eliminate the cost of attendance for local Cherry Tree Young Writers Conference participants of color, launch the first rural chapter in the 826 National network as well as compile scholarly resources to build out burgeoning, interactive documentation of regional narratives to amplify connections, known and unknown, on the Academy website.

For those interested, please consider making a donation by visiting https://www.needleseyeacademymd.org/donate or sending an email to neaest2020@gmail.com.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.needleseyeacademymd.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_nea.md/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Needles-Eye-Academy/100064971212484/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-needle-s-eye-academy/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/the_nea.md