Side Hustle or School? Dr. Umar Johnson’s $500 Lunches Spark Debate Over Community-Based Education.

Side Hustle or School? Dr. Umar Johnson’s $500 Lunches Spark Debate Over Community-Based Education.

In the USA.

The news as it trends.

Dr. Umar Johnson, a well-known social media personality, credentialed school psychologist, and motivational speaker, has reignited controversy with a fundraising initiative called “Lunch with the Doctor.”

He invites women to donate $500 to the Frederick Douglass & Marcus Garvey Academy (FDMG) in exchange for a private lunch with him in Wilmington, Delaware.

While Johnson insists this is a donation to support his school, critics argue it resembles a transactional date disguised as philanthropy.

The FDMG Academy is intended to be an independent, African-centered school for Black boys, aiming to teach cultural pride, economic empowerment, and psychological wellness.

But despite years of promotion, the school has yet to open—and there’s still no clear financial roadmap. Relying on sporadic, high-priced lunches as a funding model raises serious questions:

How will the school sustain itself long-term?

Where is the transparency in spending?

Why isn’t there a structured plan involving grants, community partnerships, or tuition models?

As echoed across social media, education is too important to be treated like a side hustle.

A school needs consistent funding, certified staff, curriculum development, and oversight.

Without these, it risks becoming a symbol rather than a solution. Johnson’s approach may attract attention, but it lacks the infrastructure to build lasting change.

As echoed on social media: when the mission is noble but the method is flawed, the ones who suffer most are the very children it was designed to help—those who never get the school they were promised, or who start and are forced to stop due to poor financial planning or instability in funding.

Yetunde B reports for Yeyetunde’s Blog.