Marvin Pierre
Founder & Executive Director, Eight Million Stories
Young people, especially young men of color, are disappearing—from schools, communities, and the workforce. Fueled by zero-tolerance policies and in-school policing, the school-to-prison pipeline is sweeping disproportionately high numbers of youth into the criminal justice system. Eight Million Stories aims to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline in the city of Houston, Texas, through a holistic educational program for disconnected youth ages 16 to 18. Eight Million Stories provides youth who have been pushed out of our school system with an opportunity to complete their education and obtain meaningful employment, in order to drastically reduce the recidivism rates of justice-involved youth in the city of Houston. Eight Million Stories also advocates for policy change around school discipline reform and support services for youth involved in the juvenile justice system.
Marvin Pierre began developing Eight Million Stories during his year as a TNTP Bridge Fellow and has served as Executive Director since its inception in 2017. Prior to founding 8MS, Marvin was the Assistant Principal at KIPP Polaris Academy for Boys in Houston and served as Dean of Students at Excellence Charter School, Assistant Dean of Students at Summit Charter School, and Director of Student Life at Achievement First Endeavor Middle School, all in Brooklyn, NY. He also worked as an Investment Banker at Goldman, Sachs & Co.