MEET SHANNON
ROCHON
There’s a certain silence that settles in when you’re the only one in the room who looks like you.
Not the kind of silence that signals peace but the kind that whispers doubt, begs for approval, and tempts you to shrink.
I’ve felt that silence in boardrooms, courtrooms, and classrooms.
But I never let it define me. I let it refine me.
As the first Black male school board member for the Wayne-Westland Community Schools District, I walked into that room knowing history was already leaning in to listen. I didn’t just carry the weight of my title. I carried the voices of generations who paved the path before me and the hopes of young Black boys who never imagined they’d see someone like themselves in that seat. I didn’t wait to be welcomed. I went in rooted in purpose.
But I wasn’t new to standing alone and standing tall.
BORN FOR THE BURDEN, BUILT FOR THE BREAKTHROUGH
I’m the oldest boy of ten siblings, raised in a world where leadership wasn’t optional. It was instinctual. When you grow up in a household full of children looking to you before looking to the world, you don’t just learn to lead. You learn to listen, sacrifice, serve, and still shine. That early life taught me to organize chaos, manage personalities, and remain dependable under pressure. These skills would later anchor me as a father, minister, and entrepreneur.
The pressure to succeed didn’t feel like a burden. It felt like a birthright. So I wore it like a badge.
TURNING PAIN INTO PLATFORMS
As the founder of BlackCount.org, I didn’t just want to register voters. I wanted to raise voices. I launched the organization because I believed civic power belongs in the hands of the unheard and the unseen. We didn’t wait for seats at the table. We built the table. At summer concerts, community centers, and block parties, we brought voter registration to our people in the language they understand: culture, rhythm, and realness.
At Nohcor Management & Consultancy, I helped creatives and community leaders do what many of us never learned how to do. Build structure around vision. Because having a dream is one thing, but turning that dream into legacy requires systems, branding, and accountability. I started that company to make sure Black brilliance never dies in the idea stage again.
And on the school board, I fight every day to change the narrative, not just the numbers. Our district is 75 percent students of color. But before I was elected, there had never been a Black man at the board table. Now there is. Now there’s me. And I don’t just bring color. I bring culture, conviction, and a commitment to change.
LESSONS FROM BEING
THE "ONLY ONE' IN THE ROOM
LESSONS FROM BEING
THE "ONLY ONE' IN THE ROOM
KNOW WHO YOU ARE BEFORE YOU WALK IN
I don’t walk into any room looking for validation. I walk in with vision. That’s the difference. My identity is not up for negotiation. I remind myself every day that God chose me. Every title I carry (father, founder, school board member, minister) was written before the world had an opinion.
ISOLATION IS PREPARATION
If you feel alone, it’s because you’ve been chosen to create something that hasn’t existed before. When you’re the first, you’re also the blueprint. I’ve learned to sit in rooms where I’m not seen as a peer and still speak like a peerless leader. That confidence isn’t arrogance. It’s clarity.
BUILD WHILE YOU CLIMB
Everything I build has a ripple effect. When I show up as my full self, I give permission to others to do the same. That’s why I mentor, why I invest in young leaders, and why I push my children to dream bigger than my ceiling. The goal is not to be the only one in the room. The goal is to open the door and flood the room.
STRATEGY OVER EMOTION
The rooms I walk into aren’t always warm, but I stay focused on the mission. When emotion rises, I lean on my preparation, my prayer life, and my people. Leadership is not about being liked. It’s about leaving something lasting.
FOR EVERY ENTREPRENEUR AND CREATIVE READING THIS:
Being the only one in the room means you have an opportunity to introduce something new. You are not just there to take notes. You’re there to shift narratives. Whether you’re launching a business, writing a book, building a brand, or changing a community, remember this:
- You don’t need permission to be powerful.
- You don’t need mirrors to validate your reflection.
- And you were never meant to blend in. You were born to build boldly.
- Let them look.
- Let them doubt.
- And then let them watch you lead.