If history has taught us anything, it is that relying on the same system that created these inequities has historically led to disappointment. Instead, communities are reclaiming education on their own terms. The future of independent Black education depends on expanding and sustaining the movements that are already in motion.

It’s time to wake up—not just individually, but collectively. The fight isn’t Black against white, poor against middle class, or urban against rural. The real fight is between the many who are exploited and the few who profit from that exploitation. And the only way to win is by recognizing our shared struggle.