SOC: Welcome to the Cage

About the Book

When Frank Hammond became a counselor at South Oak Cliff High School in the Dallas Independent School District, he had a good feeling. As a black man with a solid church upbringing and a degree from a historical black college, he felt he could really make a difference in the lives of young, inner-city kids who attended this predominately black high school.

It didn’t take Hammond long to discover that all was not well within the walls of the high school. In SOC: Welcome to the Cage, he provides a behind-the-scenes look at what happened at this school as the focus turned from understanding black dynamics to black exploitation. Hammond reveals the scandals that took place at the school, including a corrupt and unethical principal, a staff that stole from students and engaged in inappropriate sexual relations, security guards who forced students to cage fight, and manipulation of student grades.

SOC: Welcome to the Cage narrates the transgressions and describes what happened when Hammond blew the whistle; the school district was forced to choose between doing what was right and protecting its basketball championships—an action that affected a member of the University of Kansas national championship basketball team.

About the Author

FH Jr. earned a master’s degree in educational counseling and was employed as a counselor at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas, Texas, during the time these events occurred. He now lives in Grand Prairie, Texas.