Last week, I was honored to lead a panel discussion with Angela Davis, Ericka Huggins, and Hamid Khalid at the Black Male Educator Conference. Being in a hotel full of Black educators, influencers, and community supporters gave me hope and inspiration that I didn’t know I needed.
My biggest takeaway is that we have everything we need to educate our children. There is no reason to wait for others to come to our rescue. It’s not happening.
Black education advocates will remember a few years ago when the national conversation focused on accelerating the learning of Black children, especially those in under-resourced communities. There was urgency then—a belief that something had to change. We believed that improving teacher quality, curriculum, instruction, the use of in-school time, and the reliance on data would put students who lagged on track for achievement.
We believed science mattered more than politics.
Today, that urgency is gone. Philanthropy is enamored with robots and other silver bullets. Our former “allies” are obeying in advance the incoming extremist administration, and the edgelords on the wealthy conservative dole who always heckled us are suffocating from belly laughing.
Their dream has come true. The focus has shifted to white children in suburban neighborhoods with college-educated parents, intact families, and communities untouched by the struggles of systemic neglect.
Who knew their circumstances were so dire? I can see the need for laws that protect the comfort of those kids in classrooms.
Yet Black children remain the truest measure of this nation’s weak commitment to justice. Their futures and ours hang in the balance—not because of a lack of ability, but because the systems meant to support them have insufficient care for their minds. “Equal opportunity" has never existed in education, and even the surviving proposals of “education reform” - school choice, anti-testing, and more funding - are a hollow promise for Black families.
Black children are still more likely to attend underfunded schools with outdated resources and untrained teachers. They still face harsher discipline, are placed in fewer advanced classes, and are often pushed out of opportunities that could change their lives. These are not isolated issues—they are systemic problems that demand systemic solutions.
If we want justice for our children, we must do the hard work of securing it ourselves. Our families, educators, school leaders, nonprofits, and government leaders must conspire to create, demand, and protect high-quality education for our kids. Anything less is surrender.
When I asked Angela Davis about what we should do for education, she said we need to consider it one and the same as revolution, to resist seeing it as an individual pursuit, and practice it as a communal need.
I heard much about the Black Panther Party at the conference last week. Members of that party and their offspring were well represented. For them, education was not just about reading and writing. It was a vehicle to reach our full humanity. They established community-based schools that provided underserved communities access to learning centered on Black history, culture, and the critical skills needed to navigate an oppressive world. These schools didn’t just teach—they empowered students to understand their history and role in shaping the future. They emphasized the importance of critical consciousness and self-determination, encouraging students to question authority, challenge dominant narratives, and develop a strong sense of social justice.
This wasn’t about waiting for a savior but learning practical skills, developing knowledge, and using both to build a better world.
The Panthers are long gone, but our need for effective schools that respect our kids is not.
This fight requires us to take action on multiple fronts. Black communities must create their own schools, after-school programs, and mentorship initiatives to fill the gaps left by inattentive systems. We must mobilize to demand equitable funding, better teacher training, and culturally competent teaching in public schools. And we must hold ourselves accountable, ensuring that we build and sustain the resources our children need to thrive.
Our ancestors didn’t wait for change; they created it. They saw education as a revolutionary act to dismantle oppressive systems and build something better. That legacy must guide us now. Our children cannot wait for the system to care. We must lead the charge, conspire together, and take control of their futures.
We owe it to our children to fight, build, and believe in a future where justice is more than a promise and opportunity is more than a word. The work begins now, and the work is ours to do. If we act with the urgency and clarity of those who came before us, we can ensure that our children receive the education they deserve and the liberation they are owed.