The Influence of Father Figures

Quality education can be a great equalizer and a platform for success in life, but our current public school system may be the most regressive and unequal institution in our society.

Today’s guest, Denisha Allen, founded an organization that's tackling this issue head on. It’s called Black Minds Matter and it’s a non-profit dedicated to promoting access to high-quality school options for black students. She’s also a Senior Fellow at the American Federation for Children, and previously served as School Choice and Youth Liaison at the U.S. Department of Education.

Denisha is a powerful voice for change because she knows the failures of our education system firsthand. Her path from at-risk student to education policy wonk is full of wisdom for parents. After all, we want our kids to succeed regardless of their circumstances, and Denisha has done exactly that.

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Follow Denisha Allen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DenishaMweather

Learn more about Black Minds Matter: https://www.blackmindsmatter.net/

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Outline:

[0:00] Intro

[2:07] What is Black Minds Matter?

[6:00] Denisha’s upbringing and experience as a student

[12:38] The teachers’ union tried to defund her school

[18:03] Issues at home don’t have to doom a child’s education

[20:23] Charter schools do more for less

[23:36] Black Americans have a long history with school choice

[30:21] Families with money have always had school choice

[37:12] The public school-to-prison pipeline

[40:19] What is education freedom and why does it matter?

[47:03] Reasons to have hope for the future of schooling

[50:59] The NAACP puts politics above the needs of black students

[55:24] How Black Minds Matter is making a difference

[1:02:30] The political barriers to school choice

[1:07:04] Other organizations tackling the struggles families face

[1:11:15] Overcoming partisanship in education reform

[1:14:32] Male role models helped Denisha stay on the right track

[1:18:20] Denisha’s role in the American story

[1:19:43] Outro

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Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/u5GQ4zJ6OIE

Make a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?

Visit our website: https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/

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Dad Saves America is a channel dedicated to celebrating heroic fatherhood while teaching the next generation of fathers strategies they can utilize in parenting their children. We believe strong children come from a strong family. We’ve had many experts in the studio, including Jonathan Haidt, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Troy Kotsur, John Mackey, Ben Askren, and Adam Carolla.