“They went through a lot of growth in that time just from hanging out and being in a positive environment,” Cannon said.
Interest in the program grew. Soon, there were too many students for it to remain an after-school program. So Cannon left teaching after the 2016-2017 school year to run The Bloc full-time.
In its early days, The Bloc operated in DRW College Prep, KIPP One Academy, Frazier Prep Academy and Al Raby High School. The organization moved into its current space in 2020.
Although boxing is often viewed as a violent sport, Cannon says it’s not about that. It was an outlet for him as a child, and it’s now an outlet for his participants. It also gives kids access to career options such as screenprinting and money management
“There are young people in our community that honestly are going through things that make them want to hurt somebody. We need to be talking to those young people in a way that doesn’t just say change everything about who you are before you can talk to me,” Cannon said. “We need to be talking to them in a way that’s affirming to them. One of the things that we can do is to give as safe an outlet as possible and, along with that outlet, provide other resources and opportunities on top of it.”