According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2020), in 1999, 84% of teachers were white, and 8% of teachers were African American. Unfortunately, these statistics have not changed much in two decades. In 2018, 79% of teachers were white, and 7% of teachers were African American. In order to change the experiences in our schools for African American students, we must find a solution to grow more African American teachers. Waiting to recruit African American adults to become teachers seems to be an afterthought. Researching the thoughts, reflections, and perceptions of African American students about becoming teachers provides insight and recommendations to minority teacher recruitment and retention programs at both the collegiate level and K-12 schools. To increase the number of African American teachers, school districts will need to change what they are currently doing to recruit and retain African American teachers. Through qualitative student focus group interviews, African American youth shared their experiences in school, provided thoughts and perceptions of teachers, and reflections about future career aspirations. Using the "Critical Race Theory in Education" framework, the following two research questions guided the student focus group interviews: 1. What are the thoughts, reflections, and perceptions of African American students in a small, urban, midwestern school district about becoming teachers? 2. What are the motivations and barriers that African American students articulate in a small, urban, midwestern school district about becoming teachers in our schools? After interviewing six subgroups of African American students at various grade levels, it was determined that the majority of students interviewed are not considering teaching as a future profession. The students interviewed discussed the lack of relationships and connections between African American students and their primarily White teachers as being the greatest barrier. "Critical Race Theory in Education" discusses the permanence of racism as one of the explanations for the African American students' perceptions about school, thoughts about teachers, and general experiences attending school while being Black. After relationships with teachers are built, both educators and students can move forward in focusing on academic achievement in the classroom. Teachers of color who have students of color have influences that include improved reading and math scores, improved graduation rates, and increased aspirations to attend college (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995). A study by Carver-Thomas (2018a) found that the benefit to African American students' having an African American teacher for just one year in elementary school can persist over several years, especially for those students from low-income families. There was one question asked in the student focus group interviews where all African American youth agreed on the response: Yes; we need more African American teachers in our schools. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]