Your friendly reminder that Black & Brown people living in the hood got more genius than yt folks at Ivy League schools. Racism, poverty and elitism ain't nuthin' but spirit murder. 1/

I've run deep among both circles of people and I testify there is no comparison. And I've met six Presidents, multiple Congressional folks, governors, mayors, chancellors, business leaders, even been in the same room as Warren Buffet...2/

....and I promise you there is nothing more extraordinary about those folks than Tyrone and Keisha on the block. Only difference between them is resources and opportunities. 3/

Smartest group of people I ever worked with were Black & Brown yw (18-24) who had escaped sex trafficking and attended programming in Harlem. Their education had been disrupted, some were homeless, others on PA but when I say them girls were sharp af, I mean that with...4/

...every ounce of my being. This is why I center my community education practice with the most marginalized folks. I have no interest in teaching the elites. They bore me. Even my academic work is at a majority BIPOC institution in the Bronx. 5/

And no shade to educators who value the resources available at elite schools. But I know what and who I'm trying to cultivate. I love working with Black elders who were never taught Black history but roll out my classes w/ Black pride for the first time in their lives. /6

And I wish people who are not immersed in BIPOC urban communities could see all that I see. Because then they would invest in community infrastructure. Until then, Ima keep on pushing. And revering that genius. 7/End