Tangled Branches traces how systemic racism and policy failures shaped early education in America — and how communities refused to be erased.

From redlining maps that created child care deserts, to the “Welfare Queen” myth that stripped away support for working mothers, we uncover how bias was built into the system. But we also highlight the resistance: PBS and Sesame Street opening doors to learning, and the Black Panthers building schools, clinics, and breakfast programs when no one else would.

This episode is about more than what failed. It’s about the power of advocacy, dignity, and community to create light where the system left darkness.