EAGLE SCOUT CONTINUES TO GIVE BACK

When Kwame Asante ran for city council in 1996, he did not own a car, relying on
public transportation and his own two feet to canvas the district.The grassroots-style did
not work. Kwame lost the election but the experience, he says, made him a winner.

He keeps the shoes he wore during his campaign trail because each hole represents a
lesson or friendship he garnered during that hot summer in 1996.“Those worn out shoes
are a constant reminder of my struggle. I don’t wear them day-to-day, but they are just as
useful today as they were in 1996. In 2005, they are still setting the pace,” says Asante.
Born and raised in San Diego, Kwame moved to Baton Rouge to attend Southern
University, where he majored in economics. After graduating, Asante taught special

education at Glen Oaks Middle School and several other area schools before entering
law school. After passing the bar, Kwame opened his own law firm Asante & Associates,
specializing in personal injury, bankruptcy and criminal law.

Asante also serves as the president of the local NAACP and uses the worn out shoes
as props when he visits schools as a motivational speaker. His beat-up wingtips have
become a tool in his personal mission to make a difference in Baton Rouge, particularly
in the black community. Asante tutors students in the NAACP Achievement Academy
every Saturday. He is the former coordinator of the Adult Education at the New Heights
Parent Information Center. Himself an Eagle Scout, he is also active in the Boy Scouts of
America Leadership Program.

Article originally published by the Baton Rouge Business Report in the 2006 40 Under 40 Edition.