Mr. Dion Moore has been teaching here at Herbert Hoover High School for 24 years. He likes watching students come a long way from their freshman year growing up to be young adults throughout high school and reaching their senior year and graduating. Mr. Moore explains that he loves how Hoover is a very diverse school that accepts many ethnicities and that the students get along with each other and accept one another. He wishes more youth can continue to join and every race can come together and continue to fight for all communities.

Mr. Moore has seen improvements form since he was born in the 60’s when Jim Crow laws were enforced, to now how there are more African Americans running for bigger positions such as astronauts, lawyers and even the presidency. He expressed that the black community still is fighting for their country after many years and hopes and continue to fight for the common good instead of our differences. Throughout his lifetime he has admired many political speakers who risk everything for the community by speaking out and expressing their beliefs to help out more.

Mr. Moore says that his father was a icon in his life who taught him in his young years how to become a man and how to handle himself as a “black man” in this country. He expressed his dislike that now in 2019, he still has to have the same conversations with his 14 year old son like he had with his father 40 years ago.

Mr. Moore stated how growing up was not easy especially because of the color of his skin and being treated negatively. He also explained having to follow guidelines and dress a certain way so he would not be treated as a target . He wishes that all humans were just humans and weren’t segregated by the color of their skin. He also shared that throughout his employment as a teacher, he was seen and assumed as anything else but a teacher, and he found it hard to deal with at first but managed to still get through it by standing his ground.

What many people do not know is that Mr. Moore is a veteran.  He was in active duty for 10 years and served in the Gulf War. He recalls his father saying to him “You can’t walk the earth with your eyes in a squint and your hands bold in a fist” meaning how you can’t always fight and should use your brain and show them you can do what they say you can’t do. Mr. Moore also credits a black teacher who changed his life in high school by teaching him how to improve his reading level and writing skills.  He believes if he didn’t have her, he would’ve probably just ended up as a locked up street kid.

In his spare time, Mr. Moore likes to officiate high school basketball games, is on the parent board for his son’s baseball team, and he’s also been a volunteer coach for the various sports of his sons, football, baseball, and basketball. His favorite food to eat is Cajun and Creole and since he lives in San Diego, he likes to eat Mexican food too.  He is also a devout Christian Baptist who likes to hold Bible studies at his home. Mr. Moore’s favorite quote is from Martin Luther King:

“Intelligence plus character- that is the goal of true education.”

He hopes students will develop who they are and wish for the future where more ethnic groups run for higher political positions and that youths participate more. He wants the see young people caring more about the country and coming together as one.