JOHNSTON, Iowa — Louis Fountain is many things— an optimist, educator, sneaker-lover and baker.
Fountain embraces all that he is and the experiences that come with it. That includes his experiences as a Black man.
"Everything is from my perspective as a Black man," Fountain told Local 5's Eva Andersen.
That perspective, along with his extensive experience in social work and mentoring youth, is why the Johnston Community School District hired Fountain to become their first-ever director of Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.
"I truly believe that one of the core subjects should be 'how to be a good human,'" Fountain said. "How to treat people with respect. How to look at people's differences and embrace them."
One week before he started in his new role, all some parents could see were Fountain's differences. Some hoped it would cost him his job before he even began.
An online conservative news outlet called "The Iowa Standard" reported a story on April 27 that provided screenshots of Fountain's former social media posts. Some of the posts were political in nature, with an emphasis on social and racial justice.
In the initial story from the outlet, writer Jacob Hall alleges Fountain has hidden "many of his Facebook posts" over the past few years.
On May 3, the Johnston Board of Education voted to approve Fountain for the new position. Before the public comment period began, dozens of parents came to support Fountain.
Supporters gather at JCSD board meeting for Louis Fountain approval
However, a much smaller number of parents vocalized fears his presence would divide the student body.
Despite this hiccup, Fountain was approved and started his job a week later.
"I didn't look at it like, 'Woe is me,'" Fountain reflected. "I looked at it as, 'Wow, this is going to be an amazing opportunity to bring people together.'"
He did say he is an optimist, after all.
Now as the director of the diversity program, Fountain hopes to add context to the posts that drew so much attention. Fountain said those posts were a way for him to be transparent about when his own sense of belonging was being threatened.
"Being a person of color, throughout history, there were movies made, 'The Green Book,' where we couldn't stop at certain places and feel safe," Fountain said. "And that's what I said. There's certain places where I wouldn't stop because I wouldn't feel safe."
Despite the misunderstandings from some parents, Fountain is moving forward to focus on his true passion— educating kids. In fact, it was the second half of his interview, when a group of Johnston students interviewed him, that he knew it was right.
"They sold me on the position. They looked at me and said, without saying it, that 'We need you here,'" Fountain said.
Joy Nyamu, a junior at the district, said Fountain was able to make her feel comfortable from the start.
"I loved him. I loved that when he came into the interview room, like, he actually dressed down," Nyamu said. "Like, he put on a pair of Jordans."
Those Jordans are what partly sold Nyamu on Fountain, but his social media posts actually resonated with her.
"Because he is fighting for something that is so important," Nyamu said.
At the end of the day, Fountain is fighting for these kids knowing that difficult conversations are essential to growth. Because Fountain is a person who will always show up for the kids, so much that it'll be hard to send him home when the end of the day does come.
"I want my car to be the last one in the parking lot. It's like a personal goal of mine," Fountain said.