Swainsboro native Dr. Andre Benito Mountain will return home in March for two special events centered on education, literacy, and cultural leadership. Dr. Mountain will serve as a guest speaker at Swainsboro Middle School on March 27, followed by a public book signing on March 28 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Franklin Memorial Library.
Dr. Mountain is the author of Pawn Takes Rook: Urban Mosaic Pedagogy, a work that blends personal narrative, classroom practice, and cultural analysis to examine how students and educators navigate systems that often underestimate them. Using the language of chess and Hip Hop, the book explores themes of strategy, identity, literacy, and transformation, arguing that overlooked voices can become powerful agents of change when supported by vision, purpose, and community.
Currently, Dr. Mountain serves as Director of Education for The Hip Hop Museum in Bronx, New York. He is also an adjunct professor at SUNY Old Westbury and an educator in Gwinnett County Public Schools, where he works directly with students in the classroom. His career spans more than two decades as a teacher, school leader, curriculum designer, and national speaker focused on culturally responsive teaching, literacy development, and community-based learning.
Dr. Mountain is currently on a national and international book tour that includes upcoming appearances in London, Leeds and Liverpool in the United Kingdom, Washington, Chicago, and Athens, where he is leading conversations on education, Hip Hop culture, and social change. His return to Swainsboro represents a meaningful homecoming and an opportunity for local students and community members to engage with ideas shaping classrooms and cultural institutions across the country and abroad.
The March 28 book signing at the Franklin Memorial Library is open to the public. Community members, educators, and families are invited to attend.
For additional information, please contact Swainsboro Middle School or the Franklin Memorial Library.
