Q&A: Find out who taught Athens community leader 'Life' LaRoche how to play chess

As a unifying and ever-present force in Athens for the past two decades, Lemuel "Life" LaRoche has worked with area youth through chess, robotics, STEM and debate programs to teach critical thinking skills and to prepare them to become the leaders of tomorrow.

LaRoche is the executive director of Chess and Community, a local nonprofit which is set to hold its 10th annual conference at the Classic Center (300 N. Thomas St.) on Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. General admission is free, and attendees can RSVP to the event by visiting chessandcommunity.org/conference.

LaRoche is also an instructor at the University of Georgia School of Social Work. In this recent interview, LaRoche spoke to Banner-Herald arts and culture reporter Andrew Shearer about how chess first entered his life, and how he continues to "pay it forward" through his work in Athens.

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Andrew Shearer: Here in Athens, your name is synonymous with chess. How did you first become interested in the game?

Lemuel "Life" LaRoche: Growing up in Brooklyn [New York], we always had elders in the community that would stop us on the way to or from school and challenge us to sit down and play chess with them. And just like the kids here today, we'd try to run away from it because it was kind of intimidating. But in essence, those elders were trying to give us a world view. They were teaching us to be more mindful of our actions, to plan, strategize and have a goal. "You don't want to end up in Rikers Island [jail]," they would say. At the park, the old heads used to try to hustle me to sit down and watch them play, and it would be intense. Because of them, I never really looked at chess as a game that was for white people or a game that was for smart people. I saw it played regularly in my neighborhood.

Shearer: When did you start combining chess and social work?

Life: I did two internships at UGA. The first was at an adult jail and the second was at the Department of Juvenile Justice. As a probation officer, I started working with the kids on my caseload by offering to teach them to play chess. They didn't want to do it, but I asked them to give me an hour to change the way they saw the game. Think before you move, think before you speak, think before you engage. I would explain that they were stuck in a chess game with the justice system. Everybody's eating off of your dysfunction, the dysfunction of my family and your family, and community dysfunction. I was beginning to incorporate the game of chess as a thinking model about systems and how systems around you work. I'd relate it to what was going on in the kids' world. Who's that queen on your boy? Who's that queen in your life? Who's that king? If I'm talking to a young woman, she's that queen and the castles represent her community. Look at the bishops as the churches in your neighborhood and how you connect with those.

Shearer: Your first organization in Athens was the Classic City Knights in 2002. How did that evolve into the Chess and Community conference?

Life: I was dealing mainly with only boys, but eventually Classic City Knights started to grow and the ladies were like, "What about us?" And the ladies would tear [the boys] up on a table. We expanded it to Chess and Community in 2012 and officially became a nonprofit, and it became more than just about kids coming in and learning to play chess. It evolved into debates, book clubs, robotics and chess with the kids who code and and build robots. It evolved into financial literacy and traveling, taking them to [Washington] D.C., and competing in chess tournaments. It grew fast from there, so we set up an annual conference with a panel discussion between the kids and Athens-Clarke County police. We had a chess tournament at the very first conference, but then it evolved from more of a lecture into giving the kids an opportunity to "beat up" on a police officer via the chessboard. It was a way of breaking that stereotype of police officers seeing these kids as uninformed and impulsive and the kids having these negative stereotypes about the police. Now, we also go to different schools and have kids working with police officers to teach one other how to play chess.

Shearer: At this year's conference you'll be honoring Greg Jones, also known as Bulldog Purp and DJ ICUE, who passed on Jan. 30. What was his involvement with Chess and Community?

Life: This year we're starting the Gregory ICUE Jones Young Genius Award. We're gonna have a moment of silence for him. We'll recognize one kid from the community every year and give them a cash prize. Greg was a true genius and he was instrumental in the early stages of Chess and Community, and he drew the first Classic City Knights logo. When I started taking the kids to D.C. and other places, Greg jumped on board. He's was also the first DJ at Chess and Community and played the music at the first two conferences. So this year, we are going to have a moment of silence for Greg. He was a superhero, but he stayed below the radar. We want to honor him and just let folks know that we care.

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Shearer: For those who will be attending the Chess and Community conference for the first time, what can they expect to see there?

Life: First, I would encourage them to come and be in the presence of it. Let the kids teach you how to play chess. Just come and witness it, it's an experience. The kids are literally running this conference, I'm only coming in at the end to say a couple of words. Our keynote speaker is Mohamed Massaquoi, founder and strategist of VESSOL consulting firm and former UGA Bulldog. For this year's essay competition, the theme is harnessing the power of tech and reimagining what's possible. We'll have the chess tournament, the robotics tournament, an art exhibit and a chess museum featuring chess boards from different parts of the world. We're also going to have a VR experience with kids playing chess in virtual reality. And it's all free.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Q&A with Chess & Community executive director "Life" LaRoche