Black Minds Matter PodcastED

Tiffany Ford is a successful entrepreneur, success coach, student advocate and the owner of 3 schools in Philadelphia.  

Tiffany is known as "The Childcare Guru" as a result of the extraordinary impact that she has made through her educational programs that are making a major impact in the learning and development of inner-city youth. She has also served as a mentor for women, aspiring entrepreneurs and educators aspiring to open their own childcare centers and schools.

Aba Healing Academy learned....   For many New Orleans', school- aged children, there is an opportunity to bring in a system that focuses on sound character development, with cultural components that have often been overlooked or underrepresented in traditional education environments. We began planning for a school that would utilize African Traditional Religious concepts, syncretized to widely accepted, Christian beliefs. From our planning, the Aba Healing Academy chose to teach from a Candomble standard of spiritual practice. But why? The answer lies in a better understanding and framing of the question. 

Candomble focus of cause and effect, effective decision making, and goal orientation provides students and families with a framework for making any choice and decision that gives them both religious underpinning and a scientific approach to the logic there in. 

Aba Healing Academy is committed to this form of religious practice because we believe that it is THE MOST culturally appropriate form of religiosity.   

Learn more about Aba Healing Academy at: www.abahealing.org  

Learn more about Black Minds Matter and Black Owned Schools at: www.blackmindsmatter.net

Currently, Rashaun recently led a national non-profit organization, Freedom Coalition for Charter Schools (FCCS), serving as its first Executive Director. FCCS is an advocacy organization focused on amplifying the voices of Black and Brown public charter school parents and leaders.

Rashaun is an active member of his community having served as Chair and Vice-Chair of Neighborhood Planning Unit K. He also is an alumnus of New Leaders Council Atlanta. Rashaun serves on two boards, Georgia Equality and Ivy Preparatory Academy for Girls.  He is also a former high school teacher and principal.

At SXSW EDU 2022, Black Minds Matter hosted a panel to celebrate education entrepreneurship! 

During this panel, we spoke with three Black school founders about their journey to launch schools, the history of Black-owned schools, and how even more people can undertake this venture.  

Today, only 15 out of 100 Black students nationwide read proficiently, and only 13 out of 100 perform proficiently in math. This is unacceptable, our black minds matter.

blackmindsmatter.net

#blackmindsmatter #blackownedschools #sxswedu2022

T.H.R.I.V.E. Christian Academy (TCA) is a new and unique academic addition to the metro-Atlanta community. Their mission is to equip and EMPOWER our scholars to EVOLVE into leaders, EXCEL through academics and EMERGE as Good Samaritans.   

Learn more about THRIVE Christian Academy at: www.thrivechristianacademy.org  

Learn more about Black Minds Matter and Black Owned Schools at: www.blackmindsmatter.net

Legends Charter School was founded on the belief that all students can learn and deserve the opportunity to receive high-quality education, regardless of their socio-economic background. It is our belief that a student’s zip code should not determine a student’s access to education. At Legends, we believe in a holistic approach to education and work to provide any and all resources that facilitate student success in the classroom and beyond.  

 Legends is committed to Prince George’s County, the residents, and the students, and desires to strengthen the relationship with the community by offering an academic choice that is rigorous and integral to the growth of our educational landscape. We look forward to providing Prince George’s County families with the opportunity to experience a truly world-class education. 

  Legends Charter School’s commitment to equity is unwavering. Equity means delivering to each scholar the things he or she needs to be successful. They are moving urgently to provide education to disrupt the current patterns of discrimination, marginalization, and underrepresentation as civic leaders.   

Learn more about Legends Charter Schools at: https://www.legendsschools.org/ 

 Learn more about Black Minds Matter at: https://www.blackmindsmatter.net/

Kind Academy is a project-based, personalized, and passion-infused microschool serving students in grades PreK-5 online - in Florida and all over the world.

School founder Iman Alleyne has worked with children most of her life and after teaching Special Education in Public schools decided she wanted to create a program that would work for all learners. She earned her Master's in School Counseling in 2013 and is certified in Elementary Education, Special Education, and Guidance Counseling. She is currently the Assistant Principal at a Nature Based Elementary School in Fort Lauderdale that she helped to start.

Preparing for the brightest future, Kind Academy provides unparalleled dedication and commitment to students and their variety of needs, passions, and dreams.

Learn more about Kind Academy: https://www.kindacademy.org/

Learn more about Black Minds Matter: https://www.blackmindsmatter.net/

After the tax-credit scholarship bill failed to pass in Nebraska, we are all trying to figure out just what happened.

Icon Preparatory School (Icon Prep) is a non-profit corporation founded in Tampa, Florida by Dr. Dwayne Raiford, Ms. Lolita Jackson, Mr. Maurice Green, Ms. Monique Mills, Mr. Justin Smith, and Mr. Yuri Higgins. Icon Preparatory educates approximately 400 children in the city of Tampa. Icon Prep is open to any student in the state of Florida and committed to closing the achievement gap among its scholars and more affluent peers.

To close the achievement gap among students who live in underserved communities, Icon Prep’s Leadership Team aims to educate students who attend schools that have traditionally been underserved. With a belief that a student’s zip code does not determine their destination, Icon Preparatory School empowers its students to reach their maximum potential preparing them for life in college and beyond.

Combined the leaders have over 70 years of experience in education. With a leadership team comprised of professionals and seasoned educators that believe that all children can learn and achieve at high levels, Icon Prep’s leadership seeks to change the educational landscape in Florida offering choice and a high-quality college preparatory education to students in underserved populations.

It is not uncommon for liberals to suggest that students of color who receive a private education are being manipulated to have certain political beliefs and that they no longer “fit in” within their own communities as a result. For this panel, we invite students who attended Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Milwaukee to share their perspectives and react to the belief that “students of color who attend private school are being brainwashed. During this discussion, we will bring light to this issue and provide a space where conversation can help all better understand the depth of this issue in relationship to the Black Minds Matter Movement.

Dr. Phyllis Walker is a school accreditation, accountability and ongoing improvement consultant with over 20 years experience as an administrator in secondary and post-secondary education.  Currently, Ms. Walker serves as Visiting Associate Dean for the Florida A&M University College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities. She uses her skills to support the College’s strategic planning, program review, specialized accreditation and other effective operations initiatives.

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

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.

"If David Dukes ran today and put a 'D' beside his name, Black people would vote for him. If Joe Biden ran today and put a 'R' beside his name, no Black people would vote for him. That's just a fact. We are just stuck there.' - Rep. Vernon Jones

Will Black always vote for Democrats?

Will black students get a better education at an all-white school? Hear from four black males who have had very diverse learning experiences.

This Black Minds Matter episode is hosted by Walter Blanks, Jr. Featuring Chris Stewart, Derrell Bradford, and Nanya Morris. 

Education inequality is just one result of systematic racism. It has eroded other aspects of black society like housing, public health, profession, criminal justice, and colorism. How do we uproot racism in this country? And, should we be changing them all at once?

Featuring Dr. Howard Fuller, civil rights activist, education reform advocate, and academic. He has spent his life advocating for Black people and their right to better lives, including access to a better education. 

Let’s cut to it: American schools were not designed for African Americans and still fail millions of black children today. It’s no surprise schools have seen little to no innovation since the industrial period. That’s a double whammy. Where was the first white school and black school located? How did school founders envision the future of schools? In this episode we focus on the history of schooling with the context of racial inequality in America.

Featuring Gerard Robinson, Vice President of Education at the Advanced Studies in Culture Foundation in Charlottesville, Va; and, Paul Dauphin, Louisiana Deputy State Director at the American Federation for Children.

This is a podcast exploring the root causes of educational inequality and the hope we have for a better path forward. 

The world is in the midst of a civil uprising as more bear witness to the racial and social injustices that take place daily in America, sparked by the abhorrent murders of black men and women. We must commit to overhauling systems, and that includes acknowledging that our early justice system which hunted people of color as slave patrols. The education system, once a primary mechanism for segregation, is propped up and prowls for black minds just the same. Those committed to protecting black lives cannot simultaneously refuse to nurture black minds. Our essence and our being deserve life. Our black minds matter.

This episode features Dr. Steve Perry, one of the most sought-after Nationwide Motivational Speaker in America; Ann Duplessis, executive VP of the Retail Banking, Marketing & Sales, and Strategic Planning Division for the Liberty Bank and Trust Company; Gerard Robinson, Vice President of Education at the Advanced Studies in Culture Foundation in Charlottesville, Va; and Hera Varmah, 2020 Future Leaders Fellow with the American Federation for Children. Moderated by Denisha Merriweather, author of 'Black Minds Matter'.