"Education remains one of the Black community's most enduring values. It is sustained by the belief that freedom and education go hand in hand, that learning and training are essential to economic equality and independence." - Dr Marian Wright Edelman
YEAR 1 BUDGET
$200 Million
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:
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Free online Black history curriculum through our partnership with Education for Life Academy.
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Hiring and training of 2500 full-time staff including 2,000 teachers and teaching assistants, as well as psychologists, social workers, artists, musicians and other educational specialists.
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Development of a national K-12 culturally relevant curriculum that draws from Black history and incorporates both theoretical and applied knowledge.
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EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
"The most powerful weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the minds of the oppressed."
- Steve Biko
STRATEGIC FOCUS
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Education is the cornerstone of freedom and liberation. The education of Black children is one of the most important priorities of the Black community. However, according to a 2017 report by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, only 7% of all public school teachers are African American (only 2% African American men). ​Yet, another study conducted by researchers from UConn, Johns Hopkins University, American University, and the University of California-Davis, found that Black students who’d had just one black teacher by third grade were 13 percent more likely to enroll in college – and those who’d had two were 32 percent more likely. Therefore, in Year 1, the BAF will hire and train 2,500 Black educators, including 2,000 teachers and teaching assistants. However this is not enough.
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In addition to hiring and training 2,500 educators, the BAF will begin the construction of 10 public urban boarding schools throughout Black America. Our boarding schools will feature an majority-Black teaching staff, state-of-the-art facilities, and will draw students from the most economically depressed Black communities, as well as those from all other segments of the Black community. Each boarding school will be educational villages that incorporate
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In order to create a Black community that serves the needs of Black people, we must develop an educational system that provides Black children with the self-esteem, confidence and real world skills that lead to meaningful employment. Unfortunately, the education of Black children is almost exclusively devoid of Black influence. Furthermore, the public school curriculum in many states have recently been re-written to include more racist propaganda, even going so far as to refer to enslave Africans brought to America as "workers" who came to the United States to "work" on Southern plantations. As a result, Black students feel alienated from the public school system, which influences many to underperform, show lack of interest, misbehave, or dropout all together. It is time to change this dynamic. Through the Black Achievement Fund we will have the means to create world-class educational centers that will create dynamic young Black leaders who will help build stronger Black communities.
The Standing on the Shoulders of Giants Black History Curriculum
"The thought of' the inferiority of the Negro is drilled into him in almost every class he enters and in almost every book he studies."
- Dr. Carter G. Woodson
The Standing on the Shoulders of Giant's "Teach & Learn" Black history curriculum begins with ancient African history - the missing pages of world history.
Africa is the birthplace of humanity and the cradle of civilization. Yet African history has been obscured and degraded because it contradicts the notions of White supremacy by illuminating the pioneering contributions Black Africans made in world history, including the civilization of ancient Egypt. Through Unit 1: Ancient Africa, you will see Africa like you have never seen it before - when it was the light of the world and African people were the pioneers of virtually every field of knowledge.
We invite you to re-learn world history by learning African history. We promise you a transformational educational experience that will empower your thinking and foster a new respect for Africa and its people based on a correct understanding of Africa's place in world history.
Creation of Public Urban Boarding Schools
Boarding schools are worlds into themselves that offer the most comprehensive level of education. Consequently, they are also the most expensive forms of education, and thus primarily reserved for the rich. Nearly 100 African-American boarding schools once existed across the United States. Today, only four remain. The Black Achievement Fund will reverse this trend by creating 10 new public boarding schools in the following Black communities in Year 1, and a total of 30 over the next 5 years.
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Our boarding schools will serve students grades 7-12. Each boarding school will begin with 100 students per grade for a total of 600 students.
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The BAF will develop an empowering, culturally relevant curriculum that is based on applied knowledge and centered on community-building. Knowledge will be engaged to solve problems in one's life and community. From kindergarten to 12th grade, our students will learn the theoretical foundations of knowledge, but more importantly, they will learn how to apply this knowledge in real world applications. Most importantly, students will learn about African history before we were enslaved, when Africa was the light of the world and African people were the pioneers of civilization as we know it. They will learn the influence of their ancestors on human civilization and how that relates to their ability to achieve now.
Hiring and Training of 2,000 Black Teachers
"An educator in a system of oppression is either a revolutionary or an oppressor."
- Lerone Bennet, Jr.
"The influence of having a black teacher can make a monumental difference in a black student’s life, and the effect begins early in an education."
Research shows that Black students perform better under Black teachers. Yet research also shows that only 7% of public school teachers in America are African-American (only 2% are African American men). The Black Achievement Fund will ​reverse this trend by hiring and training 2,500 Black educators in Year 1, who will then teach the students at our first public boarding schools.
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The BAF will spend the entire first year working with teachers and educators to develop curricula, as well as providing training in classroom instruction. Teachers will work with social workers, psychologists, and other educational specialists to to gain a holistic understanding of education, and better insight on how to educate Black students specifically.
Teachers will also spend Year 1 meeting their students and their students' family before the start of the official school year. Our goal is to create educational partnerships with parents, teachers and community stakeholders to provide an educational experience for Black students that elevates the Black community.
Industrial Training Programs
"Every form of true education trains the student in self-reliance."
- Dr. John Henrik Clarke
Though BAF's Industrial Training programs our members will learn how - and be paid - to rebuild Black communities, brick-by-brick!​
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As part of our national curriculum, the BAF will develop industrial training programs for middle and high school students. Students will be challenged to apply their knowledge in real world applications through project-based assignments. Students will not merely learn theory, they will be engaged in converting theory into practice using real life situations. For example, students will not only learn technology, they will learn how to code and build technology platforms, including websites and apps. Student will not only learn supply and demand, they will intern at our various manufacturing plants and learn how to produce products from raw material as well as how to develop and implement a business plan. In addition, students will also take courses at our Construction Training Centers where they will learn how, and take part in literally building the Black community brick-by-brick.
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Through our industrial and technical training initiatives, Black students (men and women) will be equipped with the intellectual foundation and industrial skills to become valuable, contributing members of the Black community. Upon high school graduation they will be armed with employable skills, not simply a diploma.
