Education inequality is just one result of systemic racism. It has eroded other aspects of black society like housing, public health, employment, criminal justice, and colorism. How do we uproot racism in this country?   

Nebraska currently has one of the highest populations of incarcerated individuals nationally and worldwide. Their prison system is flawed and inhumane. During this episode we heard from State Senator Terrell McKinney about his goal to transform the criminal justice system and the education system in Nebraska.

Watch the video of this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w28FBxRkd6M

In 2012, Kelley Williams-Bolar of Ohio was convicted of lying about her residency to get her children into a better school district. Williams-Bolar lived in a school district that only met 4 of 26 of school standards and wanted to send her children to the neighboring Copley-Fairlawn School District where all of the school standards were met. She asked her father, who lived in the Copley-Fairlawn School District, to use his address. The Copley- Fairlawn School district hired a private investigator to follow Williams-Bolar and ultimately she was asked to pay $30,000 in tuition reimburse the district for the education her children received since she did not pay taxes in the district; when she was refused to pay, she was charged with a felony (her father, Edward L. Williams, was also charged with a felony). Williams-Bolar was found guilty and sentenced to 10 days in county jail plus three years of probation. She eventually received some help from Ohio Gov. John Kasich who believed "that the penalty was excessive for the offense" and pardoned her, reducing the crimes to two misdemeanors. Kasich, however, qualified his act, by saying, "No one should interpret this as a pass — it's a second chance." 

Kelley was arrested for seeking a better education environment for her daughters. 

For season 2 of the Black Minds Matter PodcastED co-host @brianagilchrist and @deni_mweather will explore the stories of the school-to-prison pipeline and the hope education has brought.

For this episode, Kevin Chavous, President of K12, Inc. attorney, author, and former District of Columbia city councilman, joins me to discuss his extensive background in education and his hope for K-12 education in a time of Covid-19 and beyond.

Why is federal support for education freedom so important? During this episode, Terris Todd, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Education Excellence for African-Americans, join me to discuss his background in education and why he decided to fight at the federal level to promote education freedom for Black students.

A study by the Thomas Fordman Institute found that Black students in charter schools are more likely to have black teachers than their peers in traditional public schools, which lead to academic gains.    

For this episode, Ron Rice, charter school expert, and former New Jersey councilman joins me and our new co-host, Briana Gilchrist, to discuss the controversial development of charter schools and the hope for black empowerment.

School Funding and Upward Mobility.  District contracts are not given out equally. During this episode, we discuss how school districts can do a better job ensuring Blacks have access to district contracts and more.  

Panelist: Curtis Valentine, Director of Reinventing Public Education at the Progressive Policy Institute,  Paul Dauphin, Louisiana State Deputy Director at the Louisiana Federation for Children, and Emory Edwards, Outreach Director at EdChoice

What would the schools in Wakanda look like?  During this episode, the women of Wakanda brainstorm how education would be approached in the Black Panther's kingdom of Wakanda. 

Panelist: Tanesha Peeples, Deputy Director of Activist Development at Brightbeam Network  

Naomi Shelton, Director of Community Engagement at KIPP,  

Lisa Watson, Kansas City Grassroots Advocate  

Briana Gilchrist, NJ Charter School Alum/Advocate

In this conversation, we will rewind the clocks of time to talk about the evolution of

school options in Tennessee with the leaders who are making it happen. What’s

changed and what stayed the same? In this episode, we are joined by Rep. John

DeBerry. John DeBerry, Jr. has served House District 90 for the past 26 years in the

Tennessee House of Representatives.

In this conversation, we will rewind the clocks of time to talk about the evolution of

school options in Tennessee with the leaders who are making it happen. What’s

changed and what stayed the same? In this episode, we are joined by Rep. John

DeBerry. John DeBerry, Jr. has served House District 90 for the past 26 years in the

Tennessee House of Representatives.