J. Samuel Cook facts for kids

Samuel J. Cook, III (born November 12, 1983) is an American playwright, journalist, and educator. He is also a writer. Currently, he leads the 7th Ward Neighborhood Center in New Orleans. This is a non-profit group that works to make life better for people in the historic 7th Ward.

As a playwright, his short play Barren Fields won an NAACP ACT-SO medal in 2002. He also taught young people who faced challenges at Walter L. Cohen Senior High in New Orleans. Samuel Cook was born in Toledo, Ohio.

Samuel Cook's Education Journey

Samuel J. Cook, III went to Dillard University and Alcorn State University. He earned a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. He also has a Master's degree in Liberal Studies from the University of Toledo. His master's studies focused on how history and society connect. He also studied for a doctorate at Southern University in Baton Rouge.

Samuel Cook's Career and Work

Cook started his writing career learning from playwright Ron Milner. As a journalist, he wrote for publications like The Black Collegian and Black College Wire. He also used to write a blog for the Clarion Ledger newspaper.

Journalism and Teaching

He took part in special programs like the New York Times Journalism Institute. He also joined the National Association of Black Journalists Student Projects Program. Cook taught adults to get their G.E.D. (General Educational Development) in Claiborne County, Mississippi. He was also an intern for the Tavis Smiley Foundation from 1998 to 2005. He often writes for Preach2me.com, a website about religion and spirituality.

Family Background and Influence

Samuel Cook comes from a well-known family of educators. His great-aunt, Jessie Randall, was the first African-American to graduate from Mary Manse College in Toledo, Ohio. She also worked as a supervisor for middle schools in Detroit. She was the first black woman to play classical piano for the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. His grandmother, The Rev. Cassandra Cook-Butler, was a minister, social worker, and pre-school teacher. His great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather, both named Samuel Cook, were engineers. His great-grandmother was a nurse. He is also related to Mary Belle Thompson, a minister who started the Pinewood Tabernacle Church in Toledo, Ohio.

Community and Political Involvement

In 2012, Cook joined the Obama for America campaign. He worked as a coordinator for Louisiana.

Samuel Cook has an adoptive son who lives in New Orleans.

Awards and Recognitions

Cook has received many awards and honors. In 2006, he was nominated for EBONY Magazine's "Top 30 Under 30" Youth Leaders list. He received the Tavis Smiley Foundation Youth Leadership Award in 2004. In 2002, he got the Toledo NAACP Excellence in Education Award. He was named the Toledo NAACP Activist of the Year in 2001. The Mayor of Toledo, Jack Ford, gave him a special Proclamation in 2000. Cook is also a member of Omega Psi Phi, a fraternity.

In 2011, The Gambit Weekly newspaper named Cook one of New Orleans' top 40 leaders under the age of 40.