Memphis Education Fund

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Memphis has always been a city where Black leadership shapes what’s possible inside classrooms and far beyond them. From trailblazers who fought for access and dignity to today’s educators and community leaders pushing for stronger schools, the legacy is clear: progress is built by people who refuse to accept “good enough” for our children.

During this last week of Black History Month, we honor the Memphis legacy, then and now, and we stay rooted in the work of educational equity in the 901. Because when Memphis leads, our students win.

Every classroom experience is shaped by decisions made far beyond the school building - laws, court rulings, funding formulas, and policy choices that determine access, opportunity, and outcomes. This week, we honor Black leaders who helped move our country closer to its promise by changing systems, not just stories.

From legal architects like Charles Hamilton Houston, Constance Baker Motley, Robert L. Carter, and Oliver Hill to policy champions like Shirley Chisholm, Barbara Jordan, and John Lewis. And scholars who reshaped how we understand equity and power - Gloria Ladson-Billings, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Derrick Bell, Freeman A. Hrabowski III, and Spottswood Robinson III - their work reminds us that policy is personal, and equity is intentional.

At Memphis Education Fund, we carry that legacy forward by pairing data + advocacy to push for decisions that expand opportunity for every student in every zip code.

Honoring Black History Month also means honoring HBCUs, institutions built to educate, uplift, and lead when access was denied elsewhere. Here in Tennessee, that legacy is alive and well.

This week, we’re spotlighting Tennessee’s seven HBCUs, and giving special love to Memphis’s own LeMoyne-Owen College, the 5th oldest HBCU and a cornerstone of opportunity and community leadership in the 901. From TSU, Fisk, Meharry, Lane, Knoxville College, and American Baptist College to LeMoyne-Owen, these campuses have shaped generations of educators, professionals, and changemakers.

At Memphis Education Fund, we celebrate their impact and recommit to building stronger pathways so more Memphis students can thrive from K–12 into college, career, and beyond.

Honoring Black History Month means honoring the educators, scholars, and change-makers who expanded access, demanded excellence, and shaped the future of public education, often in the face of systems designed to exclude them.

This week, we celebrate 9 Black leaders whose contributions remind us that educational equity is not a trend; it’s a legacy and a responsibility. At Memphis Education Fund, we’re committed to the work: supporting teachers, strengthening schools, and ensuring every student in every zip code has the opportunity to thrive.

Today we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his life, his legacy, and his call to pursue justice with courage, compassion, and consistency. In Memphis, where his final days were spent standing for dignity and equity, we carry that responsibility with deep humility.

Dr. King understood that education is a civil right and a pathway to freedom. At Memphis Education Fund, we recommit to the unfinished work: advancing educational equity, supporting educators, and using data to drive real change, so that every child in every zip code can thrive.

What a night! Thank you to our charter school leaders, community partners, and friends who joined us for Mix & Measure, an evening of small bites, festive beverages, and big conversations about what’s working for Memphis students. Our Research & Data team shared fresh TCAP insights, highlighted sector wins, and unveiled a new school performance database (exclusive to attendees) to make data easier to use in real time.

Huge thanks to our moderator Dr. Mike Brown (The Principal Learning Center) and panelists Dr. Robert Davis & Mrs. Tia James (Schools of Perea), Mr. Gus Connelly (Memphis Rise), and Dr. Nickalous Manning (Journey Community Schools) for candid, practical strategies, from targeted tutoring aligned to standards to reducing chronic absenteeism with partners like Attendance Works. We also lifted proof points like Perea’s ELA gains for economically disadvantaged students (recognized by Tennessee SCORE at 49% proficiency, top 4% statewide) and Memphis Rise’s Math proficiency (53%, top quartile statewide).

We left with new ideas, new connections, and a shared commitment to turn proof points into citywide progress. Congrats to our raffle winners for a holiday school visit from “Santa” or “The Grinch”: Libertas, Schools of Perea, Iota Community Schools, City University, and Soulsville Charters. Can’t wait to talk data again soon, with friends and colleagues in the work!