Philly’s 7th Ward is a community blog dedicated to the fight for educational and racial justice—because we know they are inextricably linked.
This space is for students, families, elders, educators, organizers, and community members who are committed to ensuring that Black children are loved, well-educated, and fully supported. Building on a long tradition of Black educational struggle in Philadelphia and beyond—and on years of writing, organizing, and reflection at Philly’s 7th Ward—we use this platform to tell the truth about our schools, honor Black educators and freedom fighters, and imagine something better together.
Here, we study history and we make it. We lift up the legacy of the 7th Ward as mapped by W.E.B. Du Bois, the Freedom Schools that shaped so many of us, and the Black teachers and school leaders who have always been at the center of community resistance and liberation. We write about what it means to teach Black children well, to protect their joy and genius, to confront anti-Blackness in classrooms and policies, and to build schools that are worthy of them.
We also write from a clear conviction, captured in Chris Stewart’s words: “the revolution will be literate.” We believe a cultural revolution is urgently needed—one that is grounded in education, literacy, and political consciousness. Our work is about building that revolution in real time: in classrooms, homes, organizing spaces, and school board meetings.
Together, we explore:
– How schools can be powerful vehicles for liberation rather than instruments of harm
– How anti-Black racism shows up in discipline, curriculum, funding, and expectations—and how we organize to dismantle it
– How Black teachers, leaders, and community members are transforming schools from the inside and outside
– How we cultivate Black student leadership, political consciousness, cultural pride, and academic excellence
– How we care for and sustain the people doing this work so they can keep showing up for kids
We believe:
– A child’s zip code must never determine the quality of their education or the scope of their dreams.
– Educated, critically conscious youth are essential to building just and thriving communities.
– Schools should be direct, accountable, and trustworthy partners with families and neighborhoods.
– The role of educators and community members is to help young people develop the academic, personal, and leadership skills needed to serve and lead in their communities.
– Excellence for Black children is non-negotiable—no excuses for systems that fail them, and no limits on what they can achieve when those systems are transformed.
Philly’s 7th Ward is not just a blog; it’s a community of practice and purpose. Our posts include personal narratives from classrooms, policy analysis, historical essays, organizing guides, cultural and political commentary, and reflections from the front lines of school transformation. They come from many vantage points, but they share a common commitment: schools that honor Black children, reflect Black genius, and advance racial justice.
We are intentionally intergenerational. We welcome:
– Young people naming their realities and visions
– Parents and caregivers advocating for their children
– Elders sharing hard-won lessons from past struggles
– Classroom teachers, school leaders, and support staff
– Organizers, scholars, and cultural workers rooted in community
If you see your vision, your work, your family, or your neighborhood in these stories, this platform is for you.
We invite you to submit your own writing, reflections, and analysis. Bring us your classroom stories, your organizing lessons, your historical memories, your policy critiques, your cultural reflections, your love letters to Black children and Black educators. Together, we can document our struggles, sharpen our strategies, and build the literate, liberated, and just schools—and communities—our people deserve.
