ABOUT US
Black Minds Matter was founded in 2020 to bring attention to the inequities in the education system that eerily resemble the institutional injustices of our criminal justice system. For Black lives to matter, Black minds must matter.
Black Minds Matter is a national movement to celebrate Black minds, support excellence, and promote the development of high-quality school options for Black students. We encourage and empower elected officials, community members and families to be innovative, demand excellence in education, and increase the number of schools founded by Black individuals.
Only 15 out of 100 black students nationwide are proficient in reading. High school graduation rates for black students continue to lag behind their white peers, and studies show that 70% of black males without a high school diploma will end up in prison. Nourishing black minds with a rich education is the first step to breaking generational poverty and societal inequities. We are committed to ensuring every Black student has access to a high-quality education of their parent’s choice.
Black Minds Matter is a project of the American Federation for Children Growth Fund.
MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to nourish Black minds with a rich education by any means necessary.
Our essence and our being deserve life. That means that protecting Black lives has to simultaneously include nurturing Black minds. Anything less is unacceptable.
– Black Minds Matter
LEADERSHIP
DENISHA ALLEN
FOUNDER
Denisha Allen is the Founder of Black Minds Matter and a Senior Fellow at the American Federation for Children and. Denisha previously served as School Choice and Youth Liaison to the Secretary of Education at the U.S. Department of Education.
Denisha is a Florida tax-credit scholarship graduate, and now sits on the board of directors for Step Up for Students. She received her master’s degree in social work from the University of South Florida and bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary social science. Along the way, Denisha has become a national symbol for school choice, headlining events with elected leaders, including the former President, governors, members of congress, and other advocates for school choice. Denisha has shared her story across the country and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, PragerU, the Washington Examiner, EducationWeek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Fox News among other outlets.
