Right now in this country, black students are more likely to be suspended, mislabeled, and denied access to advanced opportunities. But the question isn’t whether black kids can learn. The real question is what the education system was actually designed to do.

In the season eight premiere of Blacktivities, we break down the history and present-day realities of American education and how its original design still impacts black students today. From slavery-era laws banning literacy, to segregation, to modern book bans, the end of affirmative action, and the rise of school vouchers, we connect the dots between past and present.

This episode’s Big Facts unpack how public education was built to train workers, maintain social order, and protect power, not to develop everyone equally. We also discuss discipline gaps, special education labeling, curriculum control, and why “choice” policies often leave black kids behind.

Then we get into the real conversation:

1. Is school failing black kids, or are we expecting it to do something it was never built to do?
2. What responsibility do parents and communities have outside the classroom?
3. Should traditional schooling still be the primary path to success?
4. What are the alternatives, and how do we prepare our kids for a system that wasn’t designed for them?

If you care about black children, education, and telling the truth without sugarcoating it, this conversation is for you.

🎧 Listen, share, and join the conversation.

📣 Drop a comment and tell us: What’s something school never taught you that you had to learn later?

Bring Blacktivities to your inbox - stay posted on what's happening with the pod... more black culture, black history, black perspectives, and black panache!

1. Share this episode with a friend. Word of mouth is the best tool for growth.
2. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.
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4. Donate to the cause and help amplify more black voices.

Hear more episodes - Blacktivities website

About the Hosts

Blacktivities is a Black Panache original production - a podcast network with a lineup of black-hosted shows sharing black stories and tackling black issues. For more information on shows like our newest production, Fat Lies Matter, visit blackpanache.com.

Continue...

In Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem “We Wear the Mask,” he wrote of a smile that “grins and lies” referring to our inability to show our authentic selves and feelings. This week on Blacktivities, we talk about what it means to take off the mask—especially while moving through workplaces and the world. Shannon, Lisa, and KK talk finding safe spaces, what diversity and inclusion was supposed to look like, and how culture and food can bring people together.

We also share our own “unmasking” moments, from podcasting to showing up more authentically at work, plus a hilarious conversation about why Carnival Cruise thinks y’all are doing too much.

Bring Blacktivities to your inbox - stay posted on what's happening with the pod... more black culture, black history, black perspectives, and black panache!

1. Share this episode with a friend. Word of mouth is the best tool for growth.
2. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.
3. Follow us on social media.
4. Donate to the cause and help amplify more black voices.

Hear more episodes - Blacktivities website

About the Hosts

Blacktivities is a Black Panache original production - a podcast network with a lineup of black-hosted shows sharing black stories and tackling black issues. For more information on shows like our newest production, Fat Lies Matter, visit blackpanache.com.

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