In the fall of 1870, in Tuskegee, Alabama, four Black men, Tony Cliff, Berry Harris, Caesar Frederick, and William Hall, were lynched along with William Luke, a white teacher from the North, just for running a Black school. This violence demonstrated the white fury against Black education during the Reconstruction era.
During Reconstruction, over 600 Black schools were attacked. Just the idea of an educated Black citizenry infuriated many whites. Fortunately, Black people didn’t take the denial of an education for their children lying down.
We pooled our resources, hired teachers, and turned abandoned buildings into schools. Whatever it took for our ancestors to educate themselves and their children, they did. Of course, they faced violent pushback, but they refused to back down.
Today, the Trump administration continues to dissolve the Department of Education, which will undoubtedly hurt Black students. But we don’t have to stand for this. Like our ancestors, we can find ways to teach and care for ourselves and our children.
We can demand more for ourselves and our people. Pay attention to local educational issues. Vote locally. Run for local office. We must each commit ourselves to stopping the attacks on our futures.