Black Minds Matter is an advocacy group that pushes for the development of more high-quality schools for African-American students in the United States. It is a fiscally sponsored project of the American Federation for Children Growth Fund (AFC Growth Fund), a grantmaking and advocacy organization that that aims to introduce more school choice into the American educational system. ^{1 2}

The organization maintains a directory of “Black-owned schools” to direct parents, advocates, or institutions to support them. As of August 2024, the directory had 29 pages. ³

Background

Black Minds Matter is an advocacy group that pushes for the development of more “high-quality” schools for African-American students in the United States. It is a fiscally sponsored project of the American Federation for Children Growth Fund (AFC Growth Fund), a grantmaking and advocacy organization that that aims to introduce more school choice into the American educational system. ^{4 5}

Activities

Black Minds Matter laments the state of African-American education in the United States, citing statistics from the National School Boards Association (NSBA) on Black students’ relatively poor reading proficiency and graduation rates and statistics from the Brookings Institution on the likelihood of African-American males without high school diplomas ending up in prison. ⁶

The organization maintains a directory of “Black-owned schools” to direct parents, advocates, or institutions to support them. As of August 2024, the directory had 29 pages. ⁷

Black Minds Matter runs the McLeod Society Fellowship program, which selects “Black School Founders” each year to highlight for accomplishments and to provide them with “advocacy training,” media opportunities, and financial support, as well as access to its network. ⁸

As of August 2024, Black Minds Matter planned to hold a national summit in Nashville, Tennessee in October 2024. The summit aims to connect education leaders and allow them to discuss ways to surmount roadblocks commonly discovered in the “educational journey of Black students,” hoping to “foster an inclusive dialogue.” General admission tickets were $250. ⁹

Funding

donations to Black Minds Matter are directed to the American Federation for Children Growth Fund, a tax-exempt organization. ¹⁰

Leadership

Black Minds Matter was founded by Denisha Merriweather. ¹¹ Merriweather is a social worker from Jacksonville, Florida. She credits her experience attending a small private school, Esprit de Crops Center for Learning in Jacksonville, on a Step Up for Students tax-credit scholarship as the source of her academic and career success, and advocates for school choice based on that experience. ¹²

1. “About.” Black Minds Matter. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.blackmindsmatter.net/about/.
2. “About.” American Federation for Children Growth Fund. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://afcgrowthfund.org/about.
3. “Black-Owned Schools Directory.” Black Minds Matter. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.blackmindsmatter.net/black-owned-schools-directory/.
4. “About.” Black Minds Matter. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.blackmindsmatter.net/about/.
5. “About.” American Federation for Children Growth Fund. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://afcgrowthfund.org/about.
6. “About.” Black Minds Matter. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.blackmindsmatter.net/about/.
7. “Black-Owned Schools Directory.” Black Minds Matter. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.blackmindsmatter.net/black-owned-schools-directory/.
8. “McLeod Society Fellowship.” Black Minds Matter. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.blackmindsmatter.net/mcleod-society-fellowship/.
9. “National Black Minds Matter Summit 2024 Tickets.” EventBrite. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/national-black-minds-matter-summit-2024-tickets-838758989717.
10. “Support American Federation for Children Growth Fund.” Anedot. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://secure.anedot.com/086c2f56-d0fb-4867-8f81-66db26af3282/black-minds-matter-ccfa8b786243333e020da?pk_vid=eadc1f93be11d9e61676497911c1eb95.
11. “About.” Black Minds Matter. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.blackmindsmatter.net/about/.
12. “Denisha Merriweather.” American Federation for Children. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.federationforchildren.org/voices-for-choice/denisha-merriweather/.