JAX Aspire Foundation

To everyone who wasn’t able to attend our South Bend Segregated Education Findings Public Forum—we missed you!

Our organizations came together to share historical context, community perspectives, and information intended to spark meaningful dialogue about educational equity and the experiences of Black students in our community.

We’ve attached a Guest Summary & Discussion Guide so you can follow along with the key topics that were covered and continue the conversation with your family, friends, and neighbors.

At LeAja Consulting, LLC, alongside Black Lives Matter – South Bend, NAACP – South Bend Chapter, and JAX Aspire Foundation, we believe lasting change begins with informed communities, courageous conversations, and leaders who are willing to listen. Understanding our history helps us better understand today’s challenges and opens the door to thoughtful, community-informed solutions.

Thank you to everyone who attended, asked questions, shared perspectives, and invested in the conversation. If you couldn’t make it, we invite you to review the guide and stay engaged as we continue working together to create opportunities for every child.

Thank you for showing up.

JAX Aspire Foundation extends our sincere appreciation to the school board candidates who took the time to attend our community forum and engage in an important conversation about the future of Black students in South Bend.

Your presence demonstrated a willingness to listen, learn, and better understand the historical and ongoing educational inequities that continue to impact Black children. Meaningful change begins with leaders who are willing to be present and engage with the community they seek to serve.

As our coalition continues advocating for the adoption of a Black Student Achievement Strategic Plan, we look forward to working with leaders who recognize that every child deserves equitable opportunities to succeed.

Thank you for being in the room. Our children are worth the conversation, and we hope this is only the beginning of sustained partnership and action.

Hope to see you at the next mtg. August 17th @ 5:30 pm.

Tonight! 🩵🩵🩵

One More Day. One Opportunity.

For decades, our community has documented the disparities facing Black students. We have reports. We have recommendations. Now it’s time to discuss how those recommendations become board policy, accountability, and measurable action.

Join Black Lives Matter South Bend, the NAACP, JAX Aspire Foundation, and LeAja Consulting, LLC as we begin building a strategic plan for Black student achievement in South Bend.

📅 Tomorrow – Tuesday, August 4
🕕 6:00 PM
📍 Buetter-Kernan Hall
St. Joseph County Public Library – Main Branch
304 S. Main St., South Bend

If you’ve ever asked, “What can we do?” — this is your opportunity to be part of the conversation.

The future of Black student achievement deserves more than discussion. It deserves action.

See you tomorrow. Bring a friend. Bring your voice. ✊🏾📚

From the looks of it… not much has changed for the region’s most vulnerable children.

St. Joseph County, Elkhart County, and Marion County continue to report some of Indiana’s highest concentrations of at-risk youth.

Yet after an entire summer, where is the urgency? Where are the measurable improvements?

BHAS staffing vacancies remain alarmingly high just weeks before students return to school. Children need caring, qualified adults in their schools—not empty positions.

It also raises an important public question: Did the vendor contracted to address staffing shortages at BHAS in the Fall of 2025 still receive nearly $1 million even though the vacancies remained unfilled and, by many accounts, increased?

As another school year begins, our children deserve more than promises. They deserve accountability, transparency, and the resources necessary to support their success.

The data has been telling us the story for years. The question is: Who is willing to change the ending?