Unlocking Potential: Shaping Black Educational Opportunities for a Brighter Future
Education stands as a cornerstone for personal and societal advancement, particularly within Black communities facing systemic barriers. This piece delves into the transformative power of education—both formal and informal—as a crucial policy lever for shaping equitable opportunities. We explore innovative policy solutions designed to dismantle historical inequities and foster inclusive educational environments. By examining successful case studies and pioneering initiatives, we highlight the importance of equitable funding, access to quality resources, and culturally responsive curricula. Additionally, we shed light on the role of community-based programs, mentorship, and lifelong learning opportunities in nurturing intellectual growth and empowerment. Through compelling stories and data-driven insights, this narrative underscores how targeted policy interventions and collaborative efforts can unlock the full potential of Black students, paving the way for a brighter, more inclusive future for all.
Please join us in welcoming our Education Policy Panelists to Duke Sanford and Durham, NC!
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Rhianna Scyster
Community Equity and Policy Manager at 904Ward
Rhianna currently serves as the Community Equity and Policy Manager at 904WARD, a non-profit with a vision to “end systemic racism so all people thrive.” In her current role, Rhianna leads the organization’s policy and advocacy initiative, which is primarily focused on civic engagement, youth mental health, education disparities, economic justice, and juvenile justice.
In 2020 she was awarded the Nat Glover Policy Fellowship from Jacksonville University, where she earned her Master’s in Public Policy, with a research focus of disproportionate discipline of Black students in Florida’s schools. In 2024, Rhianna furthered her conference presentation skills by presenting at the National Education AssociationConference on Racial and Social Justice. In 2024, Rhianna received the OneJax Humanitarian Acost-Rua Young Professional’s Award as the 6th recipient of this award in award history. Most recently, Rhianna was recognized by University of North Florida’s Alumni Association and received the 2025 Young Alumni Achievement Award.
Rhianna is honored to serve as a board member for The Sanctuary on 8th Street, a Board Service Fellow for Jacksonville Public Education Fund, and founder of the Jacksonville Policy Engagement Group (JPEG), a small group of public policy professionals dedicated to informing their local community on policy initiatives. Rhianna continues to remain dedicated to improving her community through social justice, policy advocacy, and servant leadership.
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Dr. Ronda Taylor Bullock
Executive Director, WE ARE (Working to extend anti-racist education)
Dr. Ronda Taylor Bullock is originally from Goldston, NC. She earned her doctorate at UNC Chapel Hill in the Policy, Leadership, and School Improvement Program. Her research interests are critical race theory, whiteness studies, white children’s racial identity construction, and anti-racism. Some of her publications include Racial Identity Construction: A Critical Analysis of White Children Recognizing, Reifying, and Resisting Whiteness, Raising Conscious Kids: A Community-based Approach, and Challenging White-washed Curriculum: A Critical Race Theory Approach.
Dr. Taylor Bullock is the co-founder and Lead Curator (Executive Director) of we are, which stands for working to extend anti-racist education. As a non-profit, we are provides anti-racism training for children, parents and educators. we are uses a three-pronged approach to dismantle systemic racism in education and beyond by offering summer camps for children in rising 1st-5th grade, workshops for families, and professional development for educators.
Prior to starting we are, Dr. Taylor Bullock taught English for almost ten years at Hillside High School in Durham, NC, where she now resides. She is the wife of Dr. Daniel Kelvin Bullock and mother of son Zion and daughter Zaire.
Harold Jordan
Education Equity Coordinator at the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania
Harold Jordan is Nationwide Education Equity Coordinator at the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Beyond Zero Tolerance: Discipline and Policing in Pennsylvania Schools, co-author of Cops and No Counselors: How the Lack of School Mental Health Staff is Harming Students, co-author of Student Arrests in Allegheny County Schools: The Need for Transparency and Accountability, and the editor of Know Your Rights: A Handbook for Public School Students in Pennsylvania. Mr. Jordan serves on the professional advisory board of the Learning Disabilities Association of America. Past leadership roles include serving on the coordinating committee of the national Dignity in Schools Campaign, chairing the board of the Philadelphia Public School Notebook, a nonprofit news service reporting on the city’s public schools, and directing a national youth program at the American Friends Service Committee. Mr. Jordan participated in the 2015 White House Rethink Discipline Summit.
Mr. Jordan is also the recipient of the Education Law Center’s Education Champion Award and the Marcienne and Herman Mattleman Award for Excellence in Public Education. He holds a degree in social thought and analysis from Washington University in St. Louis.
Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson
President & CEO of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) and CDF Action Council
Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson is president & CEO of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) and CDF Action Council. Founded in 1973, CDF builds community so young people grow up with dignity, hope, and joy. Children’s Defense Fund envisions a nation where marginalized children flourish, leaders prioritize their well-being, and communities wield the power to ensure they thrive. It pursues this vision through policy advocacy, community organizing, and a network of CDF Freedom Schools in 100 U.S. cities and thirty states.
Distinguished for activism in philanthropy, faith, and community for child well-being and racial justice, Dr. Wilson’s public ministry includes service to vital national institutions. He serves as board chair for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Duke University’s Divinity School. Starsky previously led boards of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) and Forum for Theological Exploration.
Since joining CDF in 2020, Wilson has sharpened the organization’s strategy while managing its first leadership transition. Upon arrival, he re-activated CDF Action Council as a sister organization for grassroots legislative education, lobbying and public accountability. In 2021, Wilson established a dedicated Leadership Development and Organizing department focused on base building with key constituencies. In 2022, this team relaunched CDF’s Black Student Leadership Network to train students in community organizing and policy analysis, and initiated capacity building cohorts for faith communities to advocate for children’s policy. To infuse public policy with youth voice, in 2023 he merged the American Youth Policy Forum into CDF and published a 2030 public policy agenda informed by listening sessions and focus groups within CDF Freedom Schools.
From 2011 through 2020, Rev. Wilson was president & CEO of Deaconess Foundation, a faith-based philanthropy for child well-being and racial justice in St. Louis. From 2008 through 2018, Dr. Wilson also pastored Saint John’s Church (The Beloved Community), a multiracial congregation in the city. Under his leadership, the foundation constructed and established the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being, a community action tank engaging thousands of citizens annually.
After the police killing of Michael Brown, Jr., the church hosted the #BlackLivesMatter Freedom Ride to Ferguson and other mobilizations. Wilson was appointed co-chair of the Ferguson Commission, which released the ‘Forward Through Ferguson: A Path Toward Racial Equity’ Report, calling for sweeping changes in policing, the courts, child well-being and economic mobility in 2015.
Dr. Wilson earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Xavier University of Louisiana, Master of Divinity from Eden Theological Seminary, and the Doctor of Ministry from Duke University. A member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Starsky is married to Dr. LaToya Smith Wilson, a dentist and child advocate. They are raising four children.
Wilson is a prominent public speaker and has published essays, sermons and book chapters in several publications, including: Anchored in the Current: Discovering Howard Thurman as Educator, Activist, Guide & Prophet (2020); The Momentum of Hope: Personal Stories of Moral Injury (2018); and Transitions: Leading Churches through Change (2011). He is currently completing a manuscript under contract with Pilgrim Press regarding theologies of child well-being.
For his impact through service, Rev. Wilson has received several significant honors. These include: three honorary doctorates, the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) 2021 National Achievement and Outstanding Leadership Award, designation as the 2020 ABFE (Association of Black Foundation Executives) James Joseph Lecturer, 2017 induction into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers of MLK International Chapel at Morehouse College, the 2015 Saint Louis Award, St. Louis American 2015 Person of the Year, Saint Louis Children’s Hospital 2013 Community Advocate of the Year, 2023 Ubuntu Award for Excellence in Prophetic Ministry from St. Paul Community Baptist Church (NY), 2025 “Shoes of Justice” Award from Shorter Community AME Church (CO), and the Incarnate Word Foundation 2020 Leadership Award.
Follow Dr. Wilson’s activism, philanthropy, and ministry at @RevDrStarsky and @ChildDefender.