In 2025, where a child lives will still heavily determine how well they’re educated. This is costing each one of us the reality of equality that we deserve in this country, and for the children in systemically shut-out areas, it’s costing them their futures.

In our white paper, “Weaving Economic Empowerment through K–12 Education and Black Neighborhoods,” we examine how the model of public school funding tied to property taxes continues to hinder the efforts of schools in Black and Brown communities. This is evidenced by the fact that non-white school districts receive $23 billion less than white districts do annually. This is not an accidental outcome. This is the legacy of redlining (the practice of refusing a loan to someone because they live in an area deemed to be a financial risk), disinvestment, and racialized housing policy, plaguing the dreams of children and families today.

To live the ethic of liberation, we must reimagine school funding systems so that every child, regardless of their race or zip code, has an equal opportunity to thrive.

(Image of Baltimore’s Redlining Map provided via Mapping Inequality Project)