Reclaiming Black Education: From Systemic Neglect to Community Control

The systemic failures of Black schools in Black cities are not accidental; they are the result of a deeply entrenched design that has persisted for generations. This crisis is not just about underfunding, but about a broader issue—the deliberate lack of autonomy and control over Black education. Without self-sustained institutions, the Black community remains at the mercy of systems that were never designed to serve its best interests. The time for waiting is over. The time for building is now.

1. The Systemic Barriers: Why Black Schools Are Failing

A. The Funding Disparity: Starving Black Schools by Design

Public school funding in the U.S. is largely based on local property taxes. Due to redlining, economic disenfranchisement, and discriminatory housing policies, Black neighborhoods have been historically devalued, meaning lower tax revenue for schools. This results in:

Overcrowded classrooms with outdated materials and underpaid teachers.
Fewer advanced placement (AP) courses, STEM programs, and extracurriculars that give students competitive advantages.
Dilapidated school buildings that signal to students, from an early age, that their education is an afterthought.

Meanwhile, white suburban schools—funded by wealthier tax bases—receive superior resources, better teachers, and modern facilities. This disparity ensures that Black students start the race already behind.

B. The Lack of Local Control: Who Really Runs Our Schools?

Even though Black students make up the majority in urban school districts, the people making key decisions about their education are often not from their communities.

State Takeovers: Some majority-Black cities (e.g., Detroit, Newark) have had their public schools taken over by the state, stripping local leaders of control.
Curriculum Bias: Black students are often taught a whitewashed version of history that erases their contributions and glorifies oppression.
Disciplinary Disparities: Black children are disproportionately suspended and criminalized in school, feeding the school-to-prison pipeline.

When a community does not control its own education, it cannot shape the minds of its future leaders.

2. The Responsibility of the Black Community: No More Waiting for a Savior

Yes, systemic racism is real. But waiting for the system to fix itself has never been a winning strategy. The Black community must take ownership of its educational destiny.

A. Why Have We Not Built Our Own Educational Institutions?

Historically, Black communities have founded schools that thrived—HBCUs, independent Black academies, and freedom schools during the civil rights era were shining examples. But today, we are more dependent than ever on a failing public school system. Why?

Financial Disinvestment: We spend trillions annually as consumers but invest little in education.
Political Distraction: Energy is spent protesting failing schools instead of building alternatives.
Misperceptions About Power: Many believe we must rely on government solutions rather than creating our own.

B. The Urgency of Now: The End of the Road

This problem cannot be ignored any longer. The quality of education determines economic mobility, crime rates, health outcomes, and generational wealth. If we do not take control of our children’s education, we are ensuring their continued oppression.

3. The Solution: A Radical Overhaul of Black Education

A. Creating and Funding Independent Black Schools

Rather than relying on a broken system, we must create our own schools, just as other communities (Jewish, Asian, etc.) have done. This includes:

Charter schools and private Black academies with culturally relevant curriculum.
Homeschooling cooperatives that pool community resources to educate children.
Trade schools and STEM-focused institutions to create a pipeline for economic empowerment.

B. Demanding Policy Change While Building Alternatives

We cannot ignore policy, but we also cannot be trapped by it. While building independent schools, we must also push for:

Equitable school funding policies to break the cycle of underfunding.
Curriculum reform that includes Black history, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship.
An end to the school-to-prison pipeline by reforming disciplinary policies.

C. Shifting the Black Mindset: Stop Waiting, Start Creating

Black people have the knowledge, the resources, and the talent to transform education right now. But it requires a collective shift in priorities:

Spend less on consumerism, more on education.
Stop waiting for failing schools to change, build better ones.
Stop believing education reform will come from the same system that created the problem.

Conclusion: The Time to Build Is Now

The Black community has reached the end of the road. Either we take control of our children’s education, or we accept continued failure. The choice is ours. Waiting is no longer an option.